AirEvac celebrates 10 years serving west central Alabama

Members and supporters of AirEvac stationed at Whitfield Regional Hospital, celebrated 10 years in Demopolis Wednesday with a patriotic red, white and blue theme and plenty of barbecue.

The emergency air ambulance service team welcomed guests in the hangar behind the hospital where the helicopter is sheltered. No helicopter was on hand for the first hour of the party because the team was out on a call.

Chris Gibbs, program director, is one of three AirEvac staff members that have been here from the start. The other two who began Jan. 12, 2012, are Lindy Stephens, flight nurse, and Steve Smith, paramedic.

They were honored with awards during the event as was pilot Lane Mitchell who has served for five years.

Gibbs said the crew makes about 300 flights each year. “Covid boosted our numbers a lot,” he added. “We’ve done well and have grown or held steady” over the decade of service.

The Demopolis-based crew serves Marengo and its eight contiguous counties. Gibbs said between 60 and 70 percent of their flights are transfers from one hospital to another. The remainder are what are called scene flights. A patient is picked up at a designated landing site or taken from the scene of an accident or medical emergency directly to a hospital.

One of those pickup sites is in Sawyerville in Hale County, made possible by the dedication and determination of William Thomas and his wife, Mary. The registered helipad – 36AA – is adjacent to their driveway.

“They are our biggest supporters,” said Gibbs. “He’s a huge contributor to that county.”

Thomas is retired from the U.S. Air Force and law enforcement. His wife is the founder and former director of the dental program at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.

Since 2014 the couple has hosted an annual cookout for the community to get to know the AirEvac team. They missed one year when a medical emergency required the crew to make a pickup from the Thomas helipad.