Construction is now complete on a concrete helipad for the Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter based in Lewisburg. The helipad was a joint effort among the Belfast Volunteer Fire Department, the Belfast Lions , First National Bank, Belfast Presbyterian Church and Beech Construction, which donated the labor for the new helipad. It is the third concrete helipad in Marshall County.
“This pad will help Air Evac Lifeteam and the citizens of Marshall County by providing a safe, well lit, pre-designated landing area,” said Air Evac Lifeteam Program Director Jon Guthrie. “Sites like this are the best way for Air Evac Lifeteam crews to land safely to minimize the hazards that go along with an aircraft landing.”
The helipad project took approximately six months to complete. The Belfast Lions Club donated the land on which to build the helipad. Belfast Fire Chief Ricky Cozart said the helipad would be an asset in the Belfast community.
“When it saves the first life, it will be worth all of the planning and hard work that has gone into it,” Cozart said.
The Lewisburg Air Evac Lifeteam crew began operations in May 1999, and serves hospitals and communities within a 70-mile radius. Crews, which include a pilot, nurse and paramedic, can fly directly to the scenes of medical emergencies or make hospital transfers. Air Evac operates more than 110 bases in 15 states throughout the central United States.
For more information about Air Evac Lifeteam, call 1-800-793-0010 or visit www.lifeteam.net. For membership information, please call David Copeland at 931-637-5304.
