Photo By Tech. Sgt. Franklin Ramos | Local community members and U.S. Air Force members pose for a photo during a ribbon...... read more read more
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ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Feb. 11, 2014, at the Air Evac Lifeteam hangar to celebrate the grand opening of its new base at Altus Quartz Mountain Regional Airport.
Members of the 97th Air Mobility Wing attended the event in conjunction with an agreement made between the Air Evac Lifeteam and the base. The agreement was made allowing Air Evac personnel to fly directly through the base’s airspace in emergency situations.
“We have an agreement with them to help expedite when they are going to pick up passengers or get passengers to an airport,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Palen, 97th Operations Support Squadron director of operations. “We will not clear out our pattern, but will give them the right of way and let them get through our traffic pattern when they’re carrying passengers. We want to help people in dire straits and when every second matters, sure, cut right through our traffic pattern.”
These emergencies will not interfere with the wing’s training mission.
“No, it may affect us on somebody having to do a go-around or somebody might lose one traffic pattern,” said Palen. “The Operations Group’s opinion is that every chance we get to help somebody out like that when it’s somebody’s life on the line it’s definitely more important than what’s going on in training here. It’s nothing we can’t make up the next time around.”
The Air Evac Lifeteam will notify the 97th OSS control tower and Radar Approach Control prior to entering the six-mile radius of Altus AFB airspace.
“They will give us a heads up so that the tower controllers have time to notify folks that the aircraft will be coming into the airspace and at what altitude they will be coming in at,” said Palon. “They give us enough time where we could react without it developing into a dangerous situation.”
“Being able to cross through the base airspace saves a tremendous amount of time,” said Kelly Dillon, Altus Air Evac Lifeteam program director. “Every second counts when it comes to saving a life or limb for someone. We are very appreciative that the Air Force has partnered up with us, and I believe the community is appreciative as well.”
The Altus Air Evac Lifeteam is an air ambulance company that serves as the critical link to improved response time and immediate access to medical care facilities for numerous medically underserved communities within a 70-mile radius.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2014 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 120665 |
| Location: | ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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