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Mission
Through service excellence and innovation, we provide safe,
comprehensive, effective and compassionate patient care, while
delivering superior customer service.
LIFE FORCE
Capabilities
LIFE FORCE
serves patients who have suffered any kind of severe trauma
or burn, as well as severe medical illnesses.
Each aircraft has
equipment and the trained
staff to care for people in all
stages of life, from infants to geriatrics. LIFE FORCE may also be
utilized in some situations, in search and rescue missions.
LIFE FORCE History
An air ambulance
was first proposed in the Chattanooga area in 1975. While hospital
officials agreed that a helicopter service would be a good idea,
it was not until December 1988, that Erlanger
Health System
actually began the LIFE FORCE program. The
program exceeded business plan forecasts by more than fifty
percent during the first year of operations.
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.
LIFE
FORCE 2, located at the Upper Cumberland
Regional Airport in Sparta, Tennessee, was added in 1995 to better serve the
Upper Cumberland region communities.
LIFE FORCE 3, located at Tom B. David Airport in Calhoun, Georgia,
was added in December 2006 to better serve communities in North
Georgia. Life Force 3 had it's first flight on February 12, 2007.
In March 2008, LIFE
FORCE placed in service the latest in night vision technology by
adding night vision goggles.
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 provide helicopter
emergency medical services (HEMS)
operators with increased situational awareness and enhanced safety
throughout their
programs.
LIFE FORCE
4 was placed in service in the Blue Ridge, Georgia area in October
2010 to help better serve the Northeast Georgia, Southeast
Tennessee and Western North Carolina communities. LIFE FORCE
4 moved into their permanent base in McCaysville, Georgia in June
2012.
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In Memory
 This
web site is dedicated in the memory of Greg Neely, a
paramedic with LIFE FORCE, who gave his life on October 2, 1990
during a rescue attempt of a fallen hiker. Greg is remembered as
one whose love for his job and care for his patients set him apart
from other paramedics.
Greg was also highly admired and respected
by his colleagues, and anyone else that knew him.
On October 14, 1996, the LIFE FORCE Hangar
Complex was dedicated in the memory of Greg. Greg is
also remembered in the
National EMS Memorial web
site.
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