(Posted March 28, 2001)

An Altoona-based medical evacuation helicopter from the Conemaugh Memorial Trauma Center will land on the campus of Juniata College at 1 p.m., March 31, as part of an emergency medical technician training (EMT) class.

"The helicopter is coming in to train the class on how to handle a helicopter-assisted medical emergency," says Tim McMichael, a senior from Boyertown, Pa., and president of Juniata's Emergency Services and Safety Club. "The class will learn how to call in a helicopter, what type of emergency qualifies for helicopter assistance and how to set up a landing zone at the site of an emergency."

The helicopter will be on the Juniata campus from 1 to 4 p.m., unless the team is called to respond to a medical emergency. McMichael says the team may give tours of the helicopter and its equipment if time allows. "The training is not open to the public, but the public is welcome to come and see how a helicopter emergency is handled," he says.

The helicopter training is part of a 133-hour EMT training class held this year on the Juniata College campus. There are 20 students enrolled in the current class, which is overseen by the Southern Alleghenies Emergency Medical Services Council.

Juniata's Emergency Services and Safety Club, which has 20 members, provides the college with EMT support seven days a week. The student's respond to emergency calls in teams of three, carrying fully outfitted emergency bags. The bags include trauma and medical equipment as well as airway management devices.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.