Life Flight: Behind-The-Scenes With Jennifer Abney

WPXI often covers stories of accidents or tragedies where a victim needs air transport to a hospital. Channel 11 News anchor Jennifer Abney was invited to go up with Allegheny General's Life Flight and takes viewers on a behind the scenes look to meet the men and women who make up the crews.

Dean Petrone is one of three crew members on AGH’s Life Flight helicopter, stationed in Rostraver. He said this time of the year is referred to as “trauma season,” because of all of the outdoor activities. And time is something the crew is keenly aware of.

“Anytime we are called, it’s changed a person’s life forever. A situation that warrants a helicopter is where somebody is injured very badly,” said Petrone. “We have a standard of care for us, that if it’s a trauma, we are on the bedside less than 10 minutes. If it's a medical, it’s less than 15 minutes.”

Petrone, registered nurse Beth Malivuk and pilot Greg Boschert were needed for a trauma transport the day Abney shadowed them, and the crew was in the air at 1:19 p.m.

It’s not just their speed or rapid response time that makes Life Flight helicopters so special. They’re staffed with highly skilled and trained registered nurses and if need be, the chopper can serve as an emergency room in the sky.

“We carry intubation tubes and sedatives, paralytics, kits so that we can cut the arm in case of burn, bone saws,” said Petrone. “I have had to do chest tubes.”

A car accident victim needed the crew to get them from an outlying hospital to a Level 1 trauma center as soon as possible due to the concern of internal injuries.

They arrived at Grove City Medical Center at 1:46 p.m. It took the crew less than 20 minutes for them to get airborne again and another 20 before they were unloading the patient at Allegheny General Hospital. So, in less than two hours they covered over 200 miles.

The crew might not have been called to the scene of the accident, but they’re ready at all times. And they said having the appropriate supplies is just part of it.

“The idea of flying is very frightening for some people,” said Malivuk. “When you are in the aircraft, it’s you and your partner. You have to prioritize things and make sure you get all the things that need to be done, done for the patient.”

Registered nurses work 24-hour shifts together while pilots are on for 12 hours.

Boschert said he uses his military training and state of the art on-board technology to help him safely maneuver any situation the crew may be called to.

“We carry a device called T-CAS, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, which basically lets us know if there are other aircrafts near the vicinity,” said Boschert. “We have an onboard weather radar which will show us any thunderstorms or heavy rain.”

All three work together to expedite care and minimize trauma

“You can go from zero to 150 mph to go help somebody out,” said Petrone. “It’s a job that is rewarding. It’s fulfilling. It’s one of the best jobs that a nurse could have.”

And because the Life Flight crews sometimes have to perform surgeries while in the air, it has to be a smooth ride.

Abney said each Life Flight helicopter is fitted with four roto-blades, twice the number that usual helicopters have, to cut down on the vibrations.

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