At Mercy Flight, our mission to provide life-saving air medical services is powered in part by our dedicated air operations team and state-of-the-art helicopters. Over the years, we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that our fleet is fully equipped to respond to critical situations across Western New York, even in the most challenging conditions.
But equally important as what we do is how we do it. We respond to emergency medical requests without regard to a patient’s insurance status or their ability to pay. Further, we stretch every cent our budget allows to minimize the financial burden we place on our community. Our “create no hardship” approach ensures that none of our patients are saddled with a financial burden they can’t afford. Our Charity Care Program offers a quick and easy way for our patients to seek relief from any potential out-of-pocket liabilities not covered by insurance. At Mercy Flight, we understand that when someone suffers a major injury or illness, the last thing they need is a medical bill they can’t afford. That’s why we work tirelessly to ensure that doesn’t happen as a result of our service.
Our four Bell 429 helicopters are designed for rapid response, equipped with the latest technology to ensure both speed and safety during medical missions. The 429 model’s advanced features enable us to reach patients more quickly, with greater awareness, maneuverability, and precision, even in difficult weather or terrain. These aircraft are integral to our mission, and their addition to the fleet marks a significant commitment to providing top-quality life-saving care.
Our Aircraft Maintenance team plays a crucial role in ensuring that each helicopter remains in excellent working condition. With an unwavering focus on safety, our mechanics are experts at efficiently performing all required scheduled and annual maintenance duties to ensure minimal fleet downtime. Recently, we upgraded to digital scales for weighing our helicopters. These new tools provide an extremely precise base weight for each aircraft, ensuring that we meet weight requirements for every mission. Proper weight management is essential to flight safety, affecting everything from speed to range to the ability to safely take off and land.
Additionally, Mercy Flight continues to enhance its IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) system in strategic rural communities and hospitals throughout Western New York. This system provides an added layer of security for our air operations by creating intercept points that allow us to fly to patients in weather conditions that would otherwise prevent a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) response. With this system in place, our team can provide care when it’s needed most, even during periods of low or no visibility.
Collaboration with our community partners is also essential to the success of our mission. Mercy Flight relies heavily on police, fire, and ground EMS teams to identify and secure safe landing zones, as well as to provide immediate first aid to our shared patients. To support these efforts, we conduct Ground Crew Safety Training (or “Ground Schools”) to ensure that first responders are properly prepared to assist in Mercy Flight operations. Over the past couple of years, we’ve trained more than 900 individuals from nearly 100 different EMS agencies in over 30 Ground Schools. This critical training ensures that our partners understand how to secure a safe landing zone, recognize hazards, and help us save lives.
Another area where Mercy Flight continues to make an impact is in promoting safety through our partnership with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Over the past few years, we’ve reached approximately 3,175 students across 18 Western New York high schools through pre-prom safety demonstrations, where students participate in a mock crash scene. These demonstrations highlight the dangers of alcohol and impaired or distracted driving, and Mercy Flight is proud to play a role in educating the next generation about how to stay safe behind the wheel.
As we look to the future, we are excited to continue building on our successes. With a full fleet of aircraft, an expert maintenance program, new technological advancements, and a dedicated team of first responders and partners, Mercy Flight remains ready to serve the community, providing life-saving care when every second counts.
Your support helps make this possible. Donate today to ensure we can continue providing life-saving care to those who need it most.
