posted October 03, 2025

Emergency air medical bases in Brigham City and Lehi celebrate anniversary with healthcare and first responder partners

LEHI, UT – Oct. 3, 2025 – AirLife Utah commemorated five years of service to the people of the Beehive State with two celebrations this week—one at Brigham City Community Hospital on Tuesday, and another one at CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point in Lehi on Wednesday. The events brought together healthcare partners and area first responders to recognize the program’s lifesaving impact since its launch in 2020. AirLife Utah is part of Air Methods, the nation’s leading emergency air medical service provider.

“It has been a joy to work with Air Methods, their leadership, and the flight team,” said Brigham City Community Hospital CEO Jamie Cottle. “We opened our ICU about the same time you opened your base here, so it really correlated well. You give our patients an amazing resource to get them where they need to be quickly and you are an absolute delight to work with.”

Cache Valley Hospital CEO Kelsie Green was instrumental in bringing the AirLife program to the state. She originally approached the Air Methods team in Idaho to ask how to bring a program to Utah.

“The lessons we have learned are to pivot quickly, to adapt to the climate we are in, and we don’t chase egos or brands,” said Green. “We show up to our communities and we stand shoulder to shoulder. Your team is part of our team and vice versa, and we continue to build that.”

The relationship between AirLife Utah and the Tremonton Fire Department has been important for the base in Brigham City. Because AirLife Utah has first responder status, they can land on a scene without a ground crew securing a landing zone, allowing them to administer care as quickly as possible in remote areas that may take longer to access by ground.

“It’s not about ego or Tremonton being able to do it all, it’s about patient care and doing what’s best for our community,” said Tremonton Fire Chief Jeff Jarrow. “We don’t have the resources to do everything we have to do, so you guys coming out is a huge help to us. It’s phenomenal.”

With an AS350 helicopter, AirLife Utah provides interfacility transports when patients need to move from one hospital to another for specialized care, and they also respond to scene calls. Their flying ICUs carry industry-leading clinicians who are trained to provide critical care to patients suffering from trauma due to accidents, cardiac and stroke events, and more. The crews are equipped with whole blood for transfusions in flight and the ZOLL AutoPulse® NXT automated CPR device to deliver consistent, high-quality compressions for cardiac arrest patients.

“What AirLife does for us is more than a convenience, it is a lifeline,” said Brandon Widdison, ER manager at CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point in Lehi. “For many of our critically ill or injured patients, this represents life or death. Getting them to that higher level of care is extremely important.”

The AirLife Utah crews were joined at their events by hospital staff from Brigham City Community Hospital, Cache Valley Hospital, and CommonSpirit Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point, as well as first responders from the Tremonton Fire Department, Lehi Fire Department, and Saratoga Springs Fire and Rescue.

“We all have the same goal, to help the communities we serve and to help improve health outcomes,” said AirLife Utah Flight Nurse and Base Outreach Coordinator Dalton Boyles. “Utah is a rapidly growing state, and it is an honor to be able to help take care of patients and provide quality care.”

Air Methods is committed to providing air medical services to all members of the communities it serves and is in-network with most major health insurance providers across the country for emergency air medical services. Additionally, their patient advocacy program works with all patients, regardless of insurance, to ensure affordability while making pre-paid air medical membership unnecessary.  

Photos of the events are available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oDWkrXo8MMHr8w5F8