About AirCare

Transport Criteria

• Critically ill adult, pediatric or neonatal patients
• Trauma patients
• Hemodynamically unstable medical or surgical patients 
• Patients with indwelling monitoring devices
• Pulmonary patients with mechanical ventilation
• Cardiac patients during or after thrombolytic therapy

Helicopters

• Twin-engine Eurocopter EC 135, with a normal cruising speed of 145 mph; equipped with instrument flight capability and weather radar
• Eurocopter EC 130, with a normal cruising speed of 145 mph, equipped with weather radar
• Single pilot operation
• Medical interior with capacity of up to 1 patient and 2 crew members

Crew Configuration

1 registered nurse and 1 paramedic

Nurses Requirements

• Current NC State License
• 5 years critical care/emergency room experience

Required Certifications

• ACLS
• TNCC
• PALS
• ITLS
• NRP
• BLS
• 1 or more of the following: CFRN, CCRN, CEN, CTRN

Paramedics Requirements

• Current NC State Certificate
• 5 years EMS/critical care experience

Required Certifications

• ACLS
• PALS
• BLS
• ITLS
• NRP
• Nationally Registered Paramedic

Pilot Requirements

• Commercial Helicopter Certificate with instrument rating
• 2000 hours total flight time
• EMS flight experience preferred

Service Area

• 150 miles from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, including areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia

Activation

• Interhospital flights coordinated by the Emergency Department attending physician
• Transferring physician may contact AirCare Dispatch at 800-336-6224 or the Physician's Access Line (PAL) at 800-277-7654.
• Trauma, Cardiac and Stroke calls that are activated by Emergency Medical Services can reach us by calling the AirCare Dispatch Line 800-336-6224.

Hours of Operation

Available 24 hours 

AirCare is a partnership between Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Air Methods.