A LifeFlight helicopter will be based in Fort Dodge beginning in May, according to an announcement from Trinity Regional Medical Center.

The hospital has entered a partnership with UnityPoint Health LifeFlight, based in Des Moines, for positioning a helicopter in Fort Dodge. That helicopter will be used to provide air ambulance service 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout north central Iowa.

“Basing an air ambulance service at Trinity provides a tremendous benefit to our community and region,” Troy Martens, the chief operating officer of the hospital, said in a written announcement. “By having LifeFlight services available at all times Trinity can significantly reduce the transportation time for critically ill patients, which can have a significant impact on patient outcomes.”

“Where this bird is going to be based at Trinity is an area that is underserved for air transport,” he added.

Eight people will work on the Fort Dodge-based helicopter. The staff will include pilots, nurses, paramedics and an aircraft mechanic. The medical personnel will be trained in critical care, advanced life support, pediatrics and advanced airway management.

Although a helicopter hasn’t been stationed in Fort Dodge before, Trinity Regional Medical Center has been served by choppers for decades. UnityPoint Health LifeFlight helicopters have transported critically ill or injured patients from the hospital to facilities in Des Moines.

The Fort Dodge-based helicopter will be used to take patients from Trinity Regional Medical Center to other hospitals. But it will also be used to take patients from smaller hospitals or from emergency scenes to Trinity or other facilities.

Martens said the helicopter will initially use a temporary landing pad in a parking lot on the west side of the hospital. When the expansion and renovation of the hospital’s emergency department is completed, the helicopter will use a rooftop landing pad on the north side of the building. Martens said hangar space at Fort Dodge Regional Airport will be most likely be leased so that the helicopter can be kept indoors during bad weather.

Although the helicopter will have the Trinity Regional Medical Center logo on it, it will actually be owned by Air Methods of Englewood, Colorado. Martens said that company is the nation’s largest provider of emergency medical helicopters.

“We are very pleased to be expanding our LifeFlight program with a second helicopter based at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge,” Eric Crowell, president and chief executive officer of UnityPoint Health Des Moines, said in a written statement. “By working together, we are able to provide individuals throughout north central Iowa with even more advanced medical care in emergency situations when moments matter most.”