Erlanger’s Lifeforce Medical Helicopter Moving to Cleveland

Bradley County EMS is excited to announce that Erlanger’s Lifeforce helicopter will have a new home at Cleveland’s Jet Port in the very near future. The tentative start date for this new venture is September 1^st. A ground breaking ceremony will be forthcoming.

Lifeforce has been utilized by EMS services in the region since December of 1988 when their operation first began. Currently Lifeforce 1 is based at the downtown Chattanooga base at the Erlanger Baroness campus. This aircraft will be the one making the move to the Cleveland Jet Port. Lifeforce 2 is located in Sparta, Tennessee. Calhoun, Georgia houses Lifeforce 3 and the number 4 aircraft is at the Blue Ridge base in McCaysville, Georgia. The Lifeforce family has grown considerably since it began in 1988 with one helicopter.

“This is a huge benefit for the citizens in Cleveland, Bradley County, and the surrounding communities. There are times when patients need to be transported to a hospital with a higher level of care. Examples would be critically injured trauma patients, and those suffering from a heart attack or stroke.” Stan Clark, EMS Spokesperson

History and Facts about Lifeforce:

LIFE FORCE 1 began operations in December 1988 with one aircraft averaging over 700 flights per year.  With the expansions of LIFE FORCE 2 (Sparta Base) in 1995, LIFE FORCE 3 (Calhoun Base) in 2007 and LIFE FORCE 4 (Blue Ridge Base) in 2010, areas that were not previously served by air medical transportation, improved the odds in the race against time during the "Golden Hour".  Now with 4 bases, LIFE FORCE’s annual patient flights have almost tripled. 

On July 1, 1994 LIFE FORCE became the first helicopter program in the nation to be equipped with a receiver that is certified to fly Global Positioning System (GPS) approaches.  The GPS space-based radio positioning and navigation system provides safety and speed for LIFE FORCE when flying in weather conditions that are less than ideal.  GPS can provide sufficient accuracy, integrity and availability to support precision approaches to landing locations.  GPS can be the cornerstone of all future air navigation.

In March 2008, LIFE FORCE placed in service the latest in night vision technology by adding night vision goggles (NVG).  The U.S. Military has been the mainstay platform utilized in the development and refinement of viable night vision product for tactical applications.  The civilian markets have recently recognized that NVG’s provided helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operators with increased situational awareness and enhanced safety throughout their programs.