LOCALadk Magazine

Spring 2015

LOCALadk Magazine

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LOCALadk 46 Spring 2015 LOCALadk Magazine The services of Life Flight significantly help minimize the time is takes for critically ill and seriously injured patients to reach the most appropriate medical center, while providing care along the way. Understanding the socioeconomic makeup of the people they're serving, Life Flight charges no fee. "In the end, seeing the relief on our patient's faces is enough. Being able to provide this service without placing a financial burden on our patients is an additional bonus," Martin smiles. Pandolph adds, "I truly believe in our slogan, Neighbors Helping Neighbors." Down the runway, tornadoes of snow rise up and exposed faces burrow into balaclavas while the Bell 430 is pulled from the hanger. The landscape looks like the South Pole. John Hermanson gears up and slips head gear over his crew cut. He is one of the New York State Police pilots that accompany Life Flight on rescue missions. Hermanson wanted to fly ever since he was a young boy. "I used to look to the sky when a plane or helicopter would fly by and be so envious—always wanting to be in their shoes," he recalls. It was a passion that carried with him into adulthood. He became a pilot through the United States Army with whom he still flies today. After 12 years as an infantryman, he became a State Trooper in 2006. In 2013, he was accepted in the NYSP aviation program and relocated to the area from Watertown with his family. A hoist operation presents many challenges. Even if an air rescue is recommended, the pilot makes the

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