Training for the flight of a life

A lime green AirLife helicopter could be seen over Saratoga on Saturday, but it wasn't because of an accident.

A training, open to all Carbon County first responders, was held at the Platte Valley Community Center and included hands on exercises in calling in and loading flight for life evacuations.

Participants in the training included South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS), Wyoming Highway Patrol, Saratoga fire department, Saratoga police and Rawlins police. SCWEMS had volunteers from Saratoga, Encampment, Riverside and Elk Mountain.

Mark Kostovny, SCWEMS board member, said this training is important for what the service does today. Helicopters are a key component for the transport of patients in a rural area.

Joe Thompson, of the Rawlins police, said the morning session was classroom training covering dispatch procedures for flight for life calls, preparing a patient, preparing the landing zone (LZ) and keeping it contained and the radio and hand signals used to communicate with an incoming helicopter.

Kandi Starr, Saratoga police dispatcher and SCWEMS volunteer, coordinated the training with Casey Zeigler of AirLife. Starr said she was involved in flight for life training at a recent Wyoming Trauma Conference, and saw the need for the in-service training in Saratoga.

The afternoon session involved groups separated into law enforcement, dispatchers, EMTs and search and rescue calling in the helicopter, securing the LZ and loading and unloading a "patient."

Zeigler made sure some obstacles were presented to the participants like a loss of radio communication, a police vehicle entering the LZ and equipment left in the LZ.