PHI cuts ribbon on new Somerset air ambulance base

Jun. 8—The Lake Cumberland Regional Airport is opening it's hangar doors and rolling out the red carpet for it's newest tenant PHI Air Medical.

Known by many as one of the two most frequently used air ambulances in the region, PHI has been serving the Pulaski area up until now from either its London or its Monticello bases.

Now, PHI has a new Somerset-area base, thanks to a collaboration with the airport's board and the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA).

PHI's new hangar and quarters was remodeled thanks to D.C. Trimble.

Joshua Brand, business operations manager for PHI, said that the new base will have four pilots, three nurses, three medics and a floating medical member on staff.

The base will be overseen by Tony Miller, air medical base supervisor, who has been with PHI for 14 years as a flight nurse. Miller has also worked for 28 years as the Whitley City fire chief in McCreary County.

Brand said having a base at the Somerset airport means a lot for both the community and the flight crews.

"It means security and quality as far as making sure we have a safe and forgiving place to stay for our crews," he said.

Those crews have a living quarters on site there at the hangar, where each crew member has their own bedroom area. There is a shared living room and kitchen area, as well as a computer area for the crew to chart patients and flights.

Flight nurse Jordan Murphy explained that crew members work a 24-hour shift, coming on at 8 a.m. each morning.

The pilot's bedroom has a radio in which middle-of-the-night calls can be taken, as well as a computer that monitors weather conditions.

This PHI station being based at the airport is an advantage concerning weather conditions, Miller explained. "We're at the airport for a reason. By being here at the airport we have the opportunity to fly in weather that some other services can't fly in," he said, meaning they can fly in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) weather.

That doesn't mean they can fly in all types of weather, but it opens up more flight opportunities than usual.

Murphy added, "To me, it provides a service to the area that is unlike any other in the state," being able to fly in conditions they otherwise couldn't.

Murphy said the PHI helicopter stationed here is also unusual, in that it is larger than some others in the area. That means they have the capability to carry a patient's family member in certain circumstances, such as being able to keep a parent with a child.

"Other helicopter configurations don't have that available seat or weight capacity," Murphy said.

Miller pointed out that having the flight service here benefits the community in several ways. "One thing it means to me, being local to the community, is it gives us more opportunity to serve the community. Being located at the airport here allows us the opportunity to intercept patients that we know they need to go to a trauma center."

That could mean having a patient brought into Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital that needs to go to a higher level of care at an outside hospital. Those patients can be brought directly to PHI's hangar at the airport and flown directly to an out-of-county hospital. That not only cuts down on the patient's travel time, but it also frees up other resources. If the Somerset-Pulaski County EMS service or EMS services from surrounding counties don't have the ability to tie up a truck — or the manpower — for the amount of time it could take to transport a patient to Lexington or Knoxville, the air ambulance not only frees up those vehicles it gets the patient there in half the amount of time.

Brand also points out that a scene flight from somewhere in the rural parts of the county also cuts down on the time it takes to get a patient to a hospital.

"Unfortunately, the transport location by ground from some of these locations is not direct. It's never a straight line. But for us it is," Brand said.

PHI will care for high-trauma patients, heart attack patients, stroke patients or those with a high-risk pregnancy, among other emergencies.

One person who welcomed the new PHI base was Somerset-Pulaski EMS Chief Steven Eubank.

"We're glad to have them. It's another resource we can offer our patients," he said. "... Of course, we've got a good partnership with Air Methods as well, but they're one aircraft. If they're out, we've got a second aircraft right here in the community."

That second helicopter also helps in cases where there are accidents with multiple victims, or when the hospital needs Air Methods for a medical run and a second emergency arises, he said.

Kellie Baker, the manager of the Lake Cumberland Regional Airport, said of PHI, "We're excited to have them here and part of our airport family."

She said it took six months or longer for D.C. Trimble to renovate the hangar and crew quarters.

SPEDA board member and mayor of Somerset Alan Keck was on hand to congratulate the PHI crew on their new home.

"Anytime we make an investment that is positive for public safety and can help, it's a blessing. We're happy to play a small role in facilitating it. Thanks to the folks at the airport, SPEDA and PHI for the collaboration," Keck said.

Miller urged those who want more information to go to PHI's website, phicares.com. That site outlines the company's membership program. Patients do not have to be a member of PHI to receive service, but Miller said that membership helps with costs that aren't covered by insurance.