Press release from Parkview Health:
Parkview Samaritan crew to be recognized at Parkview Field
Samaritan celebrating 20th anniversary in 2009Parkview’s Samaritan flight program will be honored at the Fort Wayne TinCaps’ final regular season home game on Friday, Sept. 4 at Parkview Field.
Samaritan will do a fly-over Parkview Field prior to the start of the game. Crew members will take part in opening pitch ceremonies, the inflatable Samaritan helicopter will be on display and crew members will meet and greet fans.
This year marks Samaritan’s 20th year of providing medical flight services. Since November 1989, the Samaritan crew has provided life-saving medical care and transportation to more than 15,000 area residents during some of the most difficult times in their lives.
Samaritan 1, based in Fort Wayne, began transporting severely ill and injured patients on Nov. 18, 1989. A decade later, Samaritan 2 began flying from its base in Rochester, Ind. The 70-plus-member crew, which includes the neonatal flight team, has demonstrated their commitment to expert, reliable service for Indiana, Michigan and Ohio residents.
Samaritan aircraft are twin-engine Dauphin 365N-2 helicopters. Both helicopters serve a 100-mile radius from Fort Wayne and Rochester, covering the northern half of Indiana, southern Michigan and northwestern Ohio. When the crew receives a call, Samaritan leaves the helipad within an average of 5.6 minutes and cruises at an average of 180 mph to its destination.