The Flight for Life air ambulance base is located at Trinity Mother Francis hospital in Winnsboro. According to Russ Daman, program AV manager of Trinity Mother Francis, the EC 130 helicopter gives first responders the ability to serve a 150-mile radius around Winnsboro.

"It's a fully capable aircraft," Daman said. "It's qualified for both day and night trips, and we'll have a full team of pilots dedicated to flying and maintaining the helicopter."

The pilots will all live in or near Winnsboro once they have completed their training, Daman said. Members of the flight crew will be on the hospital's campus at all times to wait for emergency calls.

As part of their training, the pilots, doctors and nurses were given a "patient simulator" to practice with, Daman said. The simulator is a dummy, which can breathe, talk and mimic the reactions of a real patient.

Ray Thompson, COO and executive vice president of TMF hospitals and clinics, said the helicopter would save valuable time for patients who are in critical condition.

"We have to remember that health care starts with our first responders," Thompson said. "This helicopter will help those in crisis, and take people to get the care they need."

Winnsboro's helicopter was originally located in Tyler, Thompson said. Moving it to Winnsboro could shave 10 to 15 minutes off the average response time. TMF Palestine also has an emergency air ambulance, and will work in tandem with TMF Winnsboro to bring emergency care to patients more quickly.

"We're excited to expand our emergency air ambulance services to cover all of our East Texas region with the highest care," Thompson said.

Stan Holden, the CEO of Champion EMS, a partner with Trinity Mother Francis, said that having the new helicopter would expand first responders' options. The helicopter could take patients to the hospital that best serves their needs, whether that hospital is in Tyler, or as far north as Oklahoma.

Following an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, representatives from local media outlets were invited to fly in the helicopter with Daman. Three people, including this reporter, were taken for a flight over Winnsboro. We enjoyed aerial views of the downtown area, the schools, and of course, Trinity Mother Francis.

Pilots and EMS doctors and nurses are in the final stages of their flight and safety training, Thompson said. While a specific date has not yet been set, the air ambulance program should be up and running by late May or early June.