Emergency care reaches new heights in Washington County

Washington County residents will soon have faster access to critical emergency care through a locally based air medical transport service, following action by county commissioners to bring Survival Flight operations to the area.

At its Thursday, June 18 meeting, the Washington County Board of County Commissioners approved a ground lease agreement with Survival Flight, allowing the company to establish an air medical base on county-owned property near the Washington County Emergency Operations Center and EMS facilities in Wausau.

The agreement allows Survival Flight to lease the property for $12 per year while taking responsibility for building the infrastructure needed to support the operation. Planned improvements include crew quarters, office space, a helicopter landing pad, fuel storage facilities and equipment storage buildings.

For Washington County EMS Director Randy Truette, the agreement represents the result of more than a year of work to close what he described as a long-standing gap in emergency transport access.

Truette said he began pursuing the project about 16 months ago after recognizing that Washington County had limited access to timely air medical transport during critical emergencies.

“We had medical air transport in counties around us, but because of their call volume, we were in a desert when it came to air medical transport,” Truette said. “We were seeing repeated response times of more than 30 minutes, which is not acceptable in certain emergency situations.”

In an effort to improve response times, Truette spent months researching air medical providers, reviewing available services and determining which company would best meet the county’s needs.

“There were no real hurdles,” he said. “It was about being cautious and patient in finding the right company for Washington County.”

That search led the county to Survival Flight, a company that provides air medical transportation and emergency response services.

Once operational, the helicopter service is expected to provide faster transport for patients experiencing strokes, heart attacks, severe trauma and other time-sensitive medical emergencies. The service is also expected to help keep local ambulances in Washington County by reducing the need for lengthy transports to distant medical facilities.

Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews also voiced support for the project during the meeting, saying Survival Flight plans to make a significant investment in the county.

“I can tell you as the sheriff, I completely 100% endorse the company that Randy and his staff have worked on,” Crews said. “There are other assets, not only on the medical side, that they’re going to be able to offer this county and the sheriff’s office as a first responder.”

Truette said having an air medical provider based in a rural county like Washington County can make a critical difference for patients who need specialty care quickly.

Although the project took time to develop, Truette said there were moments when he questioned whether it would become a reality.

“A few times I thought it might not happen,” he said. “But like everything else in life, timing is everything.”

With the agreement now approved, Truette said he is eager to see the service become operational and begin serving residents.

“It feels amazing to know that Washington County has closed the medical air transport desert that we and some surrounding counties were in,” he said. “Moving forward, we have improved medical transport for Washington County.”

Truette credited the project to a combined effort among Washington County EMS administrative staff, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, county administration and the Washington County Board of County Commissioners.

He said community response to the announcement has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Everyone has been excited to have this asset available,” Truette said.

The county also hopes to give residents an opportunity to tour the helicopter and meet members of the Survival Flight team once operations are fully established.

Looking ahead, Truette said the true measure of success will not be the helicopter itself, but the impact the service has on patient outcomes.

“Five years from now, I want to know this has made a difference in the outcome of our patients,” he said.

For county residents, the addition of a locally based helicopter service represents more than new equipment. It signals expanded access to emergency healthcare and faster connections to specialized treatment when every minute matters.

“This is a huge step forward for faster access to healthcare for Washington County,” Truette said.