Welcome to EAGLE III!

History

In 1996, County Rescue Services, St. Vincent Hospital, and Bellin Hospital recognized the need for a safe and rapid means of transporting medical patients throughout Northeastern Wisconsin and beyond. The EAGLE III flight program was formed and began transporting patients by ground in July of 1997 and by air with a VFR Bell 407 helicopter and fixed wing aircraft in January of 1999. This helicopter was replaced by a single pilot, IFR EC-135 helicopter in August of 2001, and again by another state-of-the-art EC-135 T2+ in May of 2008. EAGLE III received IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) certification in May of 2002 and received FAA certification to conduct commercial NVG (Night Vision Goggle) operations in November of 2004, which are both examples of our program's commitment to providing the latest in safety technology.

EAGLE III began search and assist flights as a community service, not charging unless a patient needed to be transported, in early 2000. Past awards include Director Tom Madigan receiving the Tim Hynes Flight Paramedic of the Year Award, Platinum Program of Safety Award and Operator Safety Award from Helicopter Association International (HAI), Distinguished Public Service Award from the US Coast Guard, and Eurocopter's Golden Hour Award.

Landing Zone Preparation

To land at a site other than an approved helipad, ground personnel should be available to assist in selecting and securing a landing area. All landing areas must be lighted after dark. Emergency vehicles with rotating beacons can aid the helicopter in locating the landing area at night. A safe landing zone can be prepared by using the following guidelines:

Should be level, firm, and free of loose debris
The landing zone should be at least 60'x 60' in daytime/good visibility or at least 100' x 100' in nighttime/reduced visibility
Clear the landing zone of people, vehicles, and any other obstructions such as trees, poles, wires, large rocks, and high grass
Remember that wires are difficult to see from the air and the crew should be notified of any in the area
Keep spectators and emergency vehicles back at least 200 feet and have fire equipment standing by
If eye protection is available, insure that it is in place during landings and take-offs
Please remove all hats and if helmets are worn, chin straps must be securely fastened

If the landing zone is extremely dusty, it should be wet down by firefighters (if available) Crew should be prepared to communicate to the pilot the following information:

Wind direction
Touchdown Area information; DAY: communicate with the ground personnel for area location and hazards. NIGHT: Landing Zone should be illuminated by either red chemical lights, red strobe lights or vehicle headlights.

EAGLE III also is willing to train members of your department as Landing Zone Specialists. These services are available upon request at no cost.

Outreach

Ride Along Program

The purpose of the EAGLE III ride-along program is to enhance the understanding of air medical transport and build closer ties with the EMS agencies, medical personnel, and outlying medical facilities that EAGLE III services.
The EAGLE III ride-along program is open to any certified EMS professional or volunteer of all certification levels, (CFR through EMT-P) and to the medical staff, doctors, nurses and PA-C's who work at the facilities that EAGLE III services. Other EMS and medical professionals are welcome, but preference will be given to those persons who work in our primary service area. This experience is purely observational.

Interested persons are asked to fill out the form available in Contact Us or call EAGLE III at 920-469-9779.
Presentations and Demonstrations
EAGLE III and County Rescue extend their outreach programs to the community for education and support. These programs may include:
- Station, Ambulance, Hangar, and Helicopter Tours
- Scouting Merit Programs
- Fly-ins
- Community Events

If your group is interested in arranging a tour or if you would like a presentation or demonstration at your next event, please fill out the form available in Contact Us. Please explain your event and include your name, phone number, and email address. Please contact us at least 30 days prior to any event so staffing may be arranged.

While every effort is made to accommodate multiple requests, EAGLE III must give priority to its primary care communities.

Search and Assist
When possible, EAGLE III will assist in searches by local police and/or Fire Departments within our primary response area. With the exception of some very specific circumstances, the helicopter will respond as a free public service.

When the helicopter does respond we do so to assist the ground units already on scene. The helicopter remains mission ready for any medical flight request and will depart immediately in the event of a medical flight request.

Safety Information

Safety is EAGLE III's top priority! All of our vehicles are equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and highly trained medical teams. Safety standards within the EAGLE III program include but are not limited to:

Helicopter

IFR Capabilities: EAGLE III has been a single pilot, IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) program since receiving certification from the FAA in May of 2002. IFR allows our pilots to fly safely into lower weather minimums, potentiall increasing the number of EMS flights that can be completed.
ANVIS-9 Night Vision Goggles (NVG): EAGLE III has been flying with NVG since September of 2004. NVG’s substantially enhance our safety for night flights by allowing us to see clearly in the dark with 20/25 vision, literally turning night into day.
Dual GPS systems with Terrain and Obstruction warning systems which provides redundancy for the autopilot system.
On-board Traffic Avoidance System: Tracks any aircraft in the vicinity and gives a graphic representation of the traffic's location in relation to our aircraft.
On-board Color Weather Radar
Live Satellite Tracking during flights and Satellite Telephone
On-site, FAA certified, Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) which allows our pilots to get a more complete weather picture prior to flight acceptance.

Fixed Wing

All Weather, Twin Engine, IFR Certified aircraft
On-board Weather Reporting and Weather Radar
On-board Traffic Avoidance System: Tracks any aircraft in the vicinity and gives a graphic representation of the traffic's location in relation to our aircraft.
Full Autopilot System coupled to on-board GPS Systems
Two pilots on every flight due to average length of flights and flights into high traffic airports
All flights flown under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and tracked by Air Traffic Control at all times

Services

EAGLE III's transportation service is provided by ground ambulance, helicopter, turbo prop or jet aircraft from medical facilities or accident scenes. Which vehicle is used for transport is dependent on patient status, weather conditions and distance. The dispatcher will assist in making the most appropriate decision for mode of transport and relay all important information to the flight team.

Activation of any transport service should take place as early as possible to ensure appropriate resources arrive for a prompt and timely transfer. EAGLE III can be requested by:

Physicians
Hospitals
Other skilled medical facilities
First responders
Emergency medical services personnel
Law enforcement officers and dispatchers
Fire departments.

EAGLE III can be requested to go on standby while emergency vehicles are still enroute or while patients are being evaluated at the scene. If necessary, EAGLE III can be canceled at any time. There is no charge to the patient or the requesting agency for cancellations.

Welcome to EAGLE III!

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Our Mission