Life Lion Critical Care
May 19 - 25 is National Emergency Medical Services Week
At a moment's notice, Penn State Hershey Medical Center Life Lion Critical Care Transport and Emergency Medical Services teams are ready and willing to help anyone in an emergency situation. Their level of professional care and compassion is unmatched. As we celebrate National EMS Week, we thank Life Lion and all of the EMS personnel for providing lifesaving care to those in our community, and for their hard work and dedication 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
New Helicopter Joins Life Lion Fleet
Penn State Hershey Life Lion recently welcomed a new addition to its life-saving fleet. The newest Life Lion (N611) - an American Eurocopter AS365N2 model commonly known as a Dauphin helicopter - took flight on Friday, July 20, and transported its first patient from York County to Penn State Hershey Medical Center. This is the fleet’s first N2 model. Currently the Medical Center owns three Dauphin helicopters. Two are based on the Medical Center campus, the third at Carlisle Airport. Two of the three helicopters are in service 24/7.
Celebrating 26 Years of Saving Lives
- Since the first patient flight in December 1986, more than 30,000 patient transports have been completed, and the team of twenty-three employees has grown to nearly 70 pilots, nurses, paramedics and support staff. Watch our team in action.
- As Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Team celebrates twenty-six years, Read more on how the flight team reflects on how medical air services have changed and what’s ahead.
- Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Transport is celebrating 26 years of saving lives in the sky. Meet various members of our crew.
Life Lion Critical Care Transport - 26 Years of Service
Every minute counts in the care of acutely ill and injured patients. Life Lion saves not only precious time, but also delivers specialized care and treatment.
Our Mission - to pursue the highest standards of excellence and integrity in pre-hospital and inter-facility emergency and critical care transportation.
Our Vision - to excel as a national leader in emergency healthcare and transportation by creating a culture of respect, trust, transparency and collaboration with area hospitals as well as other emergency medical services in the region, thus creating peace of mind for our patients and their families in their time of crisis.
Our Values -
- Integrity -to have the commitment and courage to make the right choices no matter the cost and embrace accountability so as to encourage company wide ownership and team responsibility in every aspect of organizational health.
- Quality -to have the determination to pursue excellence and the highest standard of care in every aspect of our patient and staff interaction as well as through education, research, medical care and transportation of the sick and injured.
- People- to strengthen our reputation with patients, healthcare providers and health care facilities one relationship at a time, by respecting, valuing and serving every person we encounter regardless of ethnicity, medical history or financial status.
- Service - we are staffed by highly trained and qualified employees ready to serve 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the goal to exceed the expectations of our patients and healthcare facilities by providing attention to even the smallest of details.
Jobs with Life Lion: PennState Hershey employment website
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| Business Office/Program Manager 717-531-7365/7029 | Dispatch/Communication Center |
| Life Lion Critical Care Hanger - Hershey 500 University Drive, MC HS88 Hershey, PA 17033 | Life Lion Critical Care - Carlisle 228 Petersburg Road Hangar 15 Carlisle, PA 17013 |
| Public Relations/Outreach | Life Lion Critical Care E-mail address: |
The Transport Teams
- Flight team is comprised of a pilot, flight nurse and a flight paramedic.
- The Pediatric Critical Care Ambulance is staffed by an EMT driver, nurse and a paramedic.
- On specialty transports such as organ procurement, neonatal transports, or ECMO a specialty team may accompany the crews.
- Each year, transport team members complete training in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation, and other skills required to care for critically ill and injured patients.
Helicopter Statistics
- We currently have two American Eurocopter AS365N3 models and one AS365N2 model, commonly known as a Dauphin helicopter.
- Cruising speed = 180 mph
- Gross weight = 9,400 pounds
- Two jet turbine engines that produce 950 horsepower each
- Capable of carrying up to 300 gallons (~3 hours) of fuel
- Single pilot instrument flight rules rated all weather aircraft
Types of Patients We Fly
- About 40% are accident/trauma victims from motor vehicle accidents, falls, industrial or farming accidents, hunting accidents or assaults.
- Around 60% are transfers from one healthcare facility to another. These patients are usually critically ill and are in need of higher level of care or specialty care that may not be available at the sending institution.
Life Lion Critical Care Coverage Area
- On-scene or accident response is normally within the 10 county south central Pennsylvania region.
- We have traveled to all the states surrounding PA for inter-facility transports and regularly go to Philadelphia and Baltimore. These transfers are at the discretion of the sending physician.
Becoming a Life Lion Critical Care Pilot, Paramedic or Nurse
- Our pilots are retired Coast Guard and/or Army and not one has been flying less than 20 years. They all have earned many licenses and advanced certifications.
- Our paramedics all have extensive backgrounds working in the pre-hospital environment. They have received specialized training to prepare them to care for all types of critically ill patients that Life Lion Critical Care transports. They must maintain a number of different certifications.
- Our nurses are all PA Registered Nurses that have backgrounds working in intensive care units and/or emergency departments. They are all certified as pre-hospital health professionals; this is a course that prepares the ICU/ED experienced RN to work outside of the hospital. Most have also worked on ambulance/paramedic ground ambulances sometime in their career. They must maintain numerous different certifications.
- Air Medical Safety Advisory Council
- Air Medical Physician Association
- Air Surface Transport Nurse Association
- Alec Buck's EMS Helicopters
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- American Burn Association
- American Trauma Society
- Association of Air Medical Services
- Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems
- Emergency Health Services Federation
- Emergency Nurses Association
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Flightweb
- National Association of Air Medical Communication Specialists
- National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
- National EMS Memorial Service
- National EMS Pilots Association
- National Flight Paramedics Association
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - EMS Division
- PA Department of Health EMS Office
- Pennsylvania State Police
