Medi Flight Locations to Change

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Emergency helicopter service is moving out of Oklahoma City.

For the past 30 years the service known as Medi Flight has operated in the metro, but was reportedly barely used.

Instead of being based within the city, the service will move to Stillwater. The move is one that is supposed to be a benefit to the public.

When certain types of wrecks occur outside of Oklahoma City the quickest way to get the driver the help needed is by helicopter. It is a fast but not always efficient way.

"If it was a traumatic injury outside of Oklahoma City the helicopter had to fly to the site and then back," Public Relations Director Allen Poston said.

The process is one that Poston, a spokesperson for OU Medical Center, says has added time the helicopter spent in the air.

"Time saves lives," Poston said. "If you are having to go out and back, that's time that's lost that a patient could be at an operating room."

Saving that time otherwise lost is a reason the hospital supports the decision to move Medi Flight from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, which they say will offer faster service to more rural areas, and something emergency officials in the metro don't see as a problem.

"It doesn't change the way we do anything," paramedic John Graham said. "We'll operate exactly the same."

But EMSA admits there are situations where response times may become a problem.

"If it's 30 to 45 minutes to extradite it could be nice to have a helicopter on scene," Graham said. "In those circumstances we will miss them."