Since 1911, Johnson City Medical Center (JCMC) has been dedicated to helping the people of our region attain their highest possible level of health. The second hospital built in Tennessee, JCMC is now a 443-bed not-for-profit, comprehensive, acute-care teaching hospital affiliated with East Tennessee State University. JCMC is also a major medical referral center with Level I Trauma Care and the region's only dedicated emergency medical air transport service.
A full range of specialty and subspecialty care services and some of the most advanced diagnostic and surgical techniques are available here. We provide private patient rooms and have separate specialized units for newborn, pediatric, medical and surgical intensive care. JCMC is accredited by The Joint Commission.
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History of Wings Air Rescue
March 30, 1995 WINGS I - Johnson City made the maiden flight to Sullivan County, Tenn., to rescue a trauma victim who had been injured from a fall. The aircraft was a Bell 206 Long Ranger staffed with a Flight Nurse, Flight Paramedic and Pilot. Since then we have completed thousands of safe patient flights. Two additional bases have been added to extend our service area. WINGS II – Morristown was added Jan. 10, 2003, in Morristown, Tenn. Lakeway Regional Hospital joined efforts with Mountain States Health Alliance and Med Trans Corp. to decrease response times and improve patient outcomes. WINGS III – Jenkins, based in Jenkins, Ky., joined the WINGS family on Sept. 14, 2006. We have upgraded our fleet of aircrafts to Bell 407s including a fourth Bell 407 as a “backup aircraft." Though our service has grown we still function as one team to provide the highest level of patient care.
Wings Air Rescue Vision and Mission
The mission of Wings Air Rescue is to save lives through the skills of a professional flight crew working in conjunction with area hospitals and emergency services in the region. When distance, location or road conditions could delay transport or endanger a patient's condition, Wings Air Rescue is available for rapid and expert transport.
The Aircraft
All four WINGS aircrafts are Bell 407s. They have a top speed of 160 mph and serve an area of 125 nautical miles from their respective bases. With a normal fuel load the aircraft can operate for 2 hours with a 600 pound cargo load. This enables us to transport one patient and the flight crew, consisting of a Flight Nurse, Flight Paramedic and Pilot. The Bell 407 is one of the most popular EMS helicopters in the nation because of its reliability and unmatched safety and performance. Our helicopters are equipped with the latest communication systems, night vision goggles, a 15 million-candlepower Sun Burst lighting unit and SkyTrac GPS system.
Prior to going into operation all aircrafts are medically configured. The stretcher can be replaced with an isolette to transport neonatal or pediatric patients. The helicopter receives a daily inspection in addition to the scheduled maintenance inspections. A full-time Bell Certified helicopter mechanic is assigned to each base and is responsible for keeping the aircrafts ready for flight. These components, together with a highly trained crew, allow for safe operations and optimal patient care.
Night Vision Goggles
Flying in the mountains and rural areas has its own challenges. Add flying at night and landing in unimproved areas, and the risk increases considerably. To minimize these risks and increase safety, WINGS Air Rescue has implemented the use of Anvis F4949 Night Vision Goggles. All crew members are equipped with night vision binoculars. Each of the four aircrafts has been specially configured to filter light.
Anvis F4949 goggles intensify light 6,000 times. To put this into perspective, unaided night vision is 20/200. With these goggles on, we are able to see approximately 20/20 at night. Though our visual acuity has increased, the NVGs do not magnify objects.
The binocular is mounted on the crew member’s helmet and can be flipped up and stowed in that position for patient care. A battery pack mounted on the back of the helmet serves not only as a power source but as a counter weight. This addition has given our highly trained crew the ability to decrease risk and increase safety during nighttime operations.