EagleMed Begins Flying Critical Care Air Medical Transports in Southwest Montana

EagleMed LLC has begun flying critical care air medical transport flights throughout Southwest Montana from its newest base at Butte’s Bert Mooney Airport. The company will lease a new dedicated 10,000 square foot hangar that is being built at the airport especially for its use.

Butte, Mont., Nov. 11, 2014 - EagleMed LLC has begun flying critical care air medical transport flights throughout Southwest Montana from its newest base at Butte's Bert Mooney Airport. The company will lease a new dedicated 10,000 square foot hangar that is being built at the airport especially for its use. The company based a high-performance member of the Airbus helicopter family, the AS350 B3, at the location and added 15 employees, including a staff of paramedics, nurses and a physician assistant.

Collectively, the group has more than 100 years of critical care, air medical and emergency medical service experience. The company has also hired highly experienced pilots and a flight mechanic to serve the region. EagleMed plans to serve hospitals and first responders throughout Southwest Montana.

Highest Level of Critical Care Air Transports

"We are honored by the invitation to bring our professional services to the state of Montana," said EagleMed President Larry Bugg. "We will provide the citizens of Butte and the surrounding communities with the highest level of critical care air medical transport service available." Bugg added, "We have hired locally where possible for the base and also hired seasoned experts from outside the region that will make the Butte area their home. EagleMed is proud to bring these jobs to Butte while also serving the community's needs as part of the overall healthcare system." The Butte location is EagleMed's first Montana Base.

The company also operates in Cody, Wyo., serving the Big Horn Basin in that state and providing medical transport services to Billings as well as responding to emergency situations south of Billings and Yellowstone. The high-performance Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter that EagleMed bases at Butte outclasses all other single engine helicopters for performance, versatility, and safety. It excels in high altitude performance.

Recognized Excellence

EagleMed's expert medical teams have the highest standards in the industry and the company's fleet operations are recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration and ARGUS International for excellence. The company was recently awarded a Platinum Rating by well-known and recognized ARGUS International, based on pilot qualifications and a comprehensive on-site safety audit of EagleMed's aviation and maintenance operations. It is the highest rating for safety by the global leader in aviation safety ratings. EagleMed is the largest air medical company and one of only two programs with this coveted rating. EagleMed is also one of a select few air medical service providers to reach Level three of the voluntary FAA Safety Management System. EagleMed is also proud of being accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), the gold standard for air medical transport companies. CAMTS is an independent, non-profit agency, which audits and accredits fixed-wing and rotary wing air medical transport services as well as ground inter-facility critical care services in the U.S. to a set of industry-established criteria.

Safety Focus

EagleMed's senior aviation, maintenance, and safety leadership has a combined total of more than 150 years of aviation operational experience. Recognized as a leader in the industry, the organization and its employees received the 2013 Chairman's Award and the 2010 President's Award for Leadership and Safety from the Association of Air Medical Services. EagleMed also received the 2011 Safety Award from the Helicopter Association International, Best Practice in Just Culture from CAMTS, and the 2012 Pilot of the Year Award from the National EMS Pilots Association. EagleMed leverages technology through its web-based Learning Management System and IS-BAO registered Baldwin SMSlite(TM) system to deliver regulatory, aircraft-specific, air medical resource management, SMS, risk management, just culture, threat and error management, OSHA safety compliance training and safety report data tracking and analysis. EagleMed maintains a technologically advanced Communications Center with satellite tracking and communications for 24/7 oversight and medical direction and dispatch provided by a cadre of emergency physicians and highly trained communication staff that are also certified emergency medical technicians. EagleMed's experienced and proficient team of commercial instrument rated rotor and Airline Transport Pilot rated fixed wing pilots undergo extensive hands-on training every six months including FlightSafety International simulation training.

About EagleMed LLC EagleMed LLC, headquartered in Wichita, Kan., is a privately owned and operated critical care air medical and ground transport service. A subsidiary of Air Medical Group Holdings Inc., EagleMed has provided safe, world-class patient care to patients and communities in the Midwest for more than 30 years. EagleMed has more than 475 highly trained employees and operates an extensive fleet of 14 medically equipped Airbus AS350 B2/B3 helicopters, 20 Beechcraft King Air fixed-wing aircraft, and six ground ambulances in 13 States. For more information, please visit flyeaglemed.com.