By Sarah Fulton, Special to The Morning Call
Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2006 The Morning Call, Inc.
St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network plans to station a full-time medical helicopter crew at Jake Arner Memorial Airport in Mahoning Township beginning next month, airport officials said Wednesday.
Three crew members would be on hand in case of emergencies 24 hours a day. The helicopter would be able to land and fuel up at the airport and travel anywhere in the area.
Carbon County Airport Authority Chairman Paul Smith told township supervisors at their regular meeting the Penn Star helicopter service would be great for the county.
“I think that it’s great for the area to have,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a real boost.”
Helicopters are often the quickest way to move sick or injured people from remote areas of the rural county. Blue Mountain Health System, which has hospitals in Palmerton and Lehighton, offers a flight service.
Some helicopters respond to severe accidents in the county and transport patients to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
The new Penn Star helicopter would travel to St. Luke’s facilities. The closest network hospital to the airport is St. Luke’s Miners Memorial in Coaldale. It could not be confirmed late Wednesday if the building has a helipad. Patients easily could be transported to the main hospital campus in Fountain Hill.
Smith said the Mahoning airport was selected by hospital officials because it has an Automated Weather Observing System, which provides current weather information to pilots to help with take-offs and landings in rough weather. The airport also has a Global Positioning System for approaches.
The authority plans to renovate an existing hangar at Jake Arner Memorial Airport to create a 1,250-square-foot office for the flight crew. The other half of the hangar would be used for fuel storage and as a staging area for helicopter flights.
Township supervisors have final say on the hangar renovations because the entire airport is considered a conditional land use. Any changes to a conditional use must be approved individually.
Township solicitor Steven Serfass said he would check the township zoning ordinance and determine if supervisors must hold a formal public hearing or if the airport plans can be approved following discussion at a regular meeting.
Smith said hospital officials want to install a temporary trailer at the airport beginning early next month that would be used as an office until the new accommodations are ready at the end of August.
Township Supervisor Patricia Snyder said the airport authority should submit a land development plan for the temporary trailer and also formally request that it be parked at the airport.