Infrastructure: LifeFlight Access Program
Read more stories from our 2024 Impact Report.
In 2024, we expanded our constellation of access points and strengthened collaboration with our partners to make sure we keep Mainers connected to the care they need, regardless of where they are in our beautiful, rugged, and remote state.
In an emergency, a good plan drives performance. While LifeFlight of Maine helicopters are able to utilize a temporary landing zone at the scene of an emergency, establishing pre-designated emergency landing areas (PELAs) improves safety, efficiency, and continuity of care. The LifeFlight Access Program focuses on establishing PELAs and coordinating with first responder services and communities before an emergency occurs.
Over the years, LifeFlight has compiled a database to identify these locations across the state. These include, but are not limited to, athletic fields, roadside parking areas, rendezvous points along snowmobile and ATV trails, and small clearings deep in the woods.
Ground Safety and User Course
Uncompromising standards for safety and patient care have remained core values at LifeFlight since it was founded in 1998. With generous support from donors, LifeFlight offers its Ground Safety and User Course to first responders at no cost. The program blends classroom instruction with hands-on experience alongside LifeFlight’s crew and aircraft.
The course details when to call LifeFlight, how to access the LifeFlight system, and the information needed by LifeFlight when requesting help. First responders learn how to identify and secure a safe landing zone, along with how to communicate and coordinate with the aircraft from the ground. Additionally, participants receive instruction on how to prepare a patient for transport, and what to do once the helicopter lands.
These courses provide an opportunity for crews to get to know each other before LifeFlight arrives at an accident scene. Offering these courses builds relationships, shares knowledge, and most importantly, improves the overall safety of operation.
As part of the course, thanks to your generosity, we give each partner agency a LifeFlight ground safety kit, which includes LED lights to mark the boundaries of the landing area, information on how to communicate with the pilot, and other safety equipment for first responders on the ground.
When an accident or other critical injury or illness threatens life or limb, there is no substitute for quickly mobilized, highly skilled, emergency medical providers working together to ensure patients receive the care they need.
Corporate Partnerships
In 2024, L.L.Bean made a significant investment in LifeFlight of Maine to ensure that while you’re enjoying the outdoors, you still have access to critical care in an emergency. L.L.Bean donated $168,000 to LifeFlight in 2024 to radically enhance the scope and impact of the LifeFlight Access Program.
As a nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of companies like L.L.Bean to make our mission possible. LifeFlight was designed for the people of Maine, ensuring everyone across the state has access to the care they need, when they need it. Our mutually beneficial partnerships with Maine businesses and brands are strong, because our commitment to Maine is unwavering.
We are always eager to work with people, organizations, and companies like L.L.Bean that are as committed as we are to this place and to the people who call Maine home.
