Ohio High School Students Tour MedFlight Base, EMS Station

The Daily Sentinel, Pomeroy, Ohio

Thirty-four students from Meigs High School, who are participating in the school’s nursing program, recently went on a special field trip to tour the base of MedFlight 3 and the Meigs EMS Station to learn about careers in the emergency medical field.

Tyler Altier of MedFlight started the day with a video presentation and question and answer session at MHS. The group then proceeded to the MedFlight Base, which is located next door to the school. The first stop was a tour of the helicopter itself. The group was able to hear from and ask questions of the crew that was on shift, which included a pilot, a helicopter mechanic, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic.

The next stop was to tour the living quarters and offices of the base. Here the crew gave presentations about the company, their positions and the path that has led them to their current jobs. The group then moved next door and was given a tour of the living quarters and offices of the Meigs County EMS Station. The paramedics on duty spoke to the students about their career paths and what it would take to become employed with Meigs EMS.

During the visit the students were able to see these agencies and personnel in action with a call that involved them both. During their time at the EMS station an emergency call came in and the nature of the call (possible “CVA”, Cerebrovascular Accident, also known as a Stroke) put the MedFlight crew on automatic standby. After checking the weather, the MedFlight crew was given the go ahead to fly if it was deemed necessary. After the EMS crew arrived on the scene of the emergency it was determined that the patient would indeed need to be flown to the closest stroke center. The ambulance returned to the base and the MedFlight crew loaded the patient into the helicopter as the group of students watched in awe.

“Of course we did not or could not plan for such an event, and we would have never wished for something like this to happen,” stated Howard of the actual emergency call during the trip, although the call allowed for the students to see the agencies in action.

Information and photos provided by Brian Howard, Career Pathways Specialist at the Athens-Meigs Educational Service Center.