The Good Life - January/February 2014

Chad Erickson - Lead Pilot
The Sanford AirMed crew is based out of Bismarck and
Fargo, in North Dakota, Bemidji, Minnesota, and Sioux
Falls, South Dakota. According to Meyers, they respond to
up to 1,200 calls per year.
TM: Our nurses have extensive experience in intensive
care units and our paramedics have lots of experience in
field medicine. They can both do a lot of the things the
other is doing, but both have their areas of expertise.
GL: What personnel does your team consist of?
TM: Our core team is
our Adult Team. That
would consist of a pilot, a
paramedic and nurse. In
our fixed-wing airplane we
use two pilots. We also have
a NICU team, which stands
for neonatal intensive care
unit, and they deal with
babies and children. And
lastly, we have a Maternal
team which consists of an OB (obstetrics) nurse who
accompanies the Adult Team nurse. So we can handle a
wide range of specialized cases, whereas, if AirMed wasn’t
available, there might not be any options.
GL: What background does one need to possess in order
to be an AirMed paramedic or nurse?
20
“One call, you might be (performing
techniques) in the aircraft. The next call,
you might be in someone’s living room. It’s
challenging … When you’re a regular nurse,
your patients come to you.”
– Jennifer Berntson, Nurse, Sanford AirMed
The nurses and paramedics are required to have at least 3
years of exemplary service as an ICU nurse or ambulance
paramedic. Once accepted
into the program, they
undergo rigorous training
before going out on calls.
Meyer, who is a veteran
himself, went on to
explain that the pilots are
mostly military veterans.
Sanford AirMed’s fleet
consists of two types of
sleek and powerful aircraft. The first, a Beechcraft King
Air airplane that is capable of hitting 300 miles per
hour and with a flight range of five hours. The other,
an EC 145 Twin Engine Light Utility Helicopter, which
can reach speeds of 155 mph and can lift 4 tons. The
interiors feature advanced medical and communication
equipment. The crew is based out of the downtown