LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk There's a buzz of activity around the office building of North Country Life Flight. Coffee brews and the parking area is full of SUVs and trucks. Faces look to the sky and assess the cloud coverage. Today is hoist training. Established in 1989, North Country Life Flight is a non-profit air medical rescue service tasked with the mission to provide critical lifesaving care in the back of a helicopter. Based near the Lake Clear Airport, come winter, its office building is tucked behind large mounds of snow. Upon entrance, there is a cozy, relaxed vibe emitted by the employees, volunteers, and their dogs. Maps of the Adirondacks are taped above desks and gear is systematically arranged against the back wall. Billy Martin, a Life Flight medical volunteer and Paul Smith's College alumni, snacks on a clementine while chatting with Chuck Pandolph. Life Flight has a medical team on call 24/7—ready to gear up, load and go. In 2000, Martin was working ski patrol and came across a tandem log truck accident near Crown Point. The first one on scene, he began triage on the patients. Three were critical and he called the hospital. When EMTs arrived, they were impressed by the work Martin had done and kept him in charge. A few days later, he received an application for North Country Life Flight. Tall and fit, Martin is no stranger to back country rescue. He's been to Mount Rainer, Hood, and the low camps of Everest. "It's very rewarding being able to get critical patients to the right hospital. We are patient advocates first and foremost. Lives can be saved if patients that need higher level care can be transported there by helicopter," Martin comments.

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