Portneuf Medical Center unveils new emergency helicopter

Portneuf Medical Center unveiled its new emergency helicopter Wednesday after its agreement with Life Flight expired at the end of March.

The helicopter, operated by a company called Air Methods, will be known as Portneuf Air Rescue. Air Methods is the same company that operates helicopters at EIRMC and the University of Utah.

The chopper seats four people — a patient, paramedic, nurse and pilot — and reaches speeds of up to 120 knots per hour.

“We’re gonna be able to get off the ground three to four minutes earlier than we would’ve formerly,” said Dan Ordyna, CEO of Portneuf Medical Center.

In an emergency situation, hospital staff say those minutes could mean the difference between life and death.

“You have about one hour to really save the life of the patient, so it really does come down to minutes,” said Drew McRoberts, Portneuf’s trauma director.

The helicopter is equipped with a lot of the tools found in your typical ground ambulance, meaning paramedics can treat patients on their flight back to the hospital.

Dallen Farmer sees the power of air rescue every day. The Air Methods paramedic has been treating patients in-flight for the last two years.

“To be able to bring the healing and some of the relief to those patients that they otherwise wouldn’t have is a responsibility we take pretty seriously,” said Farmer.