Year of Challenges


In addition to the day-to-day difficulties of helicopter air ambulance operations, this past year has brought its own challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been especially daunting for the crews that face them every day. “From the very beginning, we took the stance that every patient has COVID,” Sell reflects. “Things were changing so fast, so we would have weekly call-ins to help everyone


keep up to date and supported. Their safety is our priority.” Safety measures include flying in full PPE and a unique Tiger Medical mask system to protect crews while still enabling radio communication.


Keeping crews safe also means keeping up proficiency and morale, which falls to Slapnicher. “We had to get real creative with keeping all our pilots up and employed.” He reflects on having to temporarily close bases that saw a dramatic


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July/Aug 2021


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