Maintenance keeps ALERT flying

A meticulous maintenance program has given the ALERT helicopter crew an extra measure of security as the helicopter lifts into the sky to save lives.

Jim Keller, chief of maintenance and former pilot, tracks the mechanical health of the Bell 407 helicopter with the diligence and enthusiasm of a NASCAR pit crew. But more hangs in the balance than a trophy and big check.

The flight crew and a life in medical crisis depend on the helicopter to leap into the air at a moment's notice, then deliver them all back safely to Kalispell Regional Medical Center's emergency room.

Thanks to diligent maintenance and the skilled team of pilots, ALERT has flown 11,000 missions without a serious accident since the program began in 1975. In 2005, the crew launched 800 times, flying 600 hours.

Keller, Chief Pilot George Taylor and Allison Meilicke, director of emergency services at the medical center, want the public to understand that federal safety and maintenance requirements explain why ALERT is occasionally unavailable.

The crew attempts to schedule elective maintenance during the slower winter months. But federal regulations don't allow latitude for some work.

"There are things you have to do periodically, depending how many hours you're flying," Keller said.

Keller compares it to preventive car maintenance, like changing the oil, recommended every so many miles. Some people do it while others don't.

"But in aircraft, nothing's recommended," he said. "It's all mandated." There's also a whole lot more of it and the costs can be astronomical.

Those expenses are part of the reason the helicopter ambulance service runs a half-million-dollar deficit annually.

While the medical center pays most of the overrun, the annual ALERT benefit banquet scheduled April 29 at Majestic Valley Arena makes a critical difference in the survival of the program.

Meilicke gave the example of the 2,500-hour required maintenance performed last year. It added $200,000 to the regularly scheduled repair budget of $140,000.

"That was just parts - no labor," she said.

According to Taylor, Keller represents a rare resource: He holds licenses as a pilot

for carrying passengers and as a mechanic qualified to oversee a maintenance program complying with complex Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

"Rarely do you see those two things together," Taylor said.

Keller, who began as a relief pilot and mechanic in 1986, retired recently as a pilot due to a health issue. But maintenance keeps him plenty busy.

Everything on the aircraft, from the parts that keep it airborne to the doors, windows and landing gear, gets inspected.

Keller said even gear such as hospital equipment falls under federal regulations.

"As soon as it's in the aircraft, it's mandated that we inspect," he said.

The valley has an unusually large number of quick-response ground units to perform rescues if an inspection grounds ALERT.

"The valley is very blessed with these advanced life support paramedics," Meilicke said.

ALERT also maintains good relationships with other services such as LifeFlight in Missoula to help out.

Good planning and even leasing helicopter parts keeps the crew ready to take off at a moment's notice most of the year. As a result, hundreds of people have survived all manner of disaster from car wrecks to bear maulings to falls off cliffs.

Jim Oliverson, spokesman for Kalispell Regional Medical Center, gets stacks of letters from people who remember the comforting sound of the helicopter swooping down in their hour of need.

"People are amazed we have this service," he said. "There seems to be a lot of pride about the helicopter."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.