1996
- completed program formation as a ground based Critical Care
Transport Service.
July
of 1997 - dedicated a ground unit to the program;
begin to see the need throughout Northeast Wisconsin for
a flight program.
September
of 1997
- ordered VFR Bell 407 helicopter. Received in July 1998.
Spring
of 1998- completed construction of our hangar, which has been considered one
of the best facilities in the United States.
January of 1999 -
began
medical flights
2000
- began receiving requests for over water Search
and Rescue operations from the USCG. EAGLE III
performs area searches as a community service, not
charging unless a patient needs to be transported.
Early
in 2000 - growth of the program indicated the need
for a larger aircraft with more specialized equipment.
December
of 2000 - ordered the single pilot, IFR EC-135.
Added
features include a FLIR (Forward-Looking Infrared),
Fully
customized medical interior
Spring
of 2001 - sold our VFR Bell 407 helicopter; a BO-105 is leased as an interim
helicopter and then used as a back-up.
March
of 2001
- Director Thomas Madigan received Tim Hynes Flight Paramedic
of the Year Award.
August
of 2001 - received delivery of EC-135.
September
of 2001 - EC-135 was a featured aircraft at the
Air Medical Transport Conference in Orlando FL.
September
of 2001 - installed a 2000 gallon fuel farm to
alleviate fuel needs for two twin-engine helicopters.
May
of 2002 - received IFR (Instrument Flight
Rules) Certification from the
Federal Aviation Administration. EAGLE III is one of the only Wisconsin-based air medical helicopters to have
achieved this level of certification.
January
of 2004 - EAGLE III crew performs heroic ice
rescue on the Bay of Green Bay, rescuing two snowmobile riders
from the water in below zero temperatures. The EAGLE III
crew also received an award and commendation for their
extraordinary efforts from the FAA Flight Service District
Office Milwaukee.
March
of 2004 - EAGLE III earns Platinum
Program of Safety Award from Helicopter Association
International (HAI)
September
of 2004 - EAGLE III
crew earns Distinguished Public Service award from U.S.
Coast Guard for Ice Rescue on the Bay in January.
The Distinguished Public Service Award is the highest
award given to a civilian by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The crew also received Eurocopter's Golden Hour Award,
which was presented to them at the Helicopter
Association International (HAI) conference in February of
2005.
November
2004 - EAGLE III receives FAA
certification to conduct commercial NVG (Night Vision
Goggle) operations. EAGLE III is the only medical
helicopter program in the state with this capability.
March
2006 - EAGLE III receives FAA
certification for a GPS instrument approach to the County
Rescue helipad.Along
with the GPS approach a Belfort Instruments FAA approved
DigiWx AWOS-2 (automatic weather observation station) is
installed.
