Life Flight Maintenance Doesn't Pre-Empt Learning Opportunity

Published 07.25.2017

News
Nursing & Health Sciences
Student News

Health Sciences students traveled to Williamsport Regional Airport, where one of Geisinger's Life Flight helicopters was being serviced.Students in the paramedic technician and emergency medical services majors visited the hangar for Geisinger’s Life Flight helicopter on Wednesday, where the three-person crew gave them an overview of its services and talked about safety protocols when on the scene of a Life Flight landing. Each year, as part of a summer Operations and Rescue Practices for the Paramedic course, students learn about crime scene awareness, medical incident command and emergency vehicle operations, including a landing by Life Flight and hands-on Emergency Vehicle Driver Training. On Wednesday, because the helicopter was undergoing a parts replacement, the Penn College students visited the helicopter at its hangar at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville. There, flight medic Kevin Niedzwiecki, a part-time instructor at Penn College, and other crew members provided insight and a hands-on demonstration. The photo was provided by Andrew L. Mattocks, a part-time Penn College instructor and Life Flight employee (and full-time ICU nurse) who received Penn College degrees in paramedic technology (’06), applied health studies (’11) and nursing (’17) and provided an on-campus lecture in flight operations earlier this summer.