September 24, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Weather Camera at Mission Field Airport to Improve Access to Fixed-Wing Emergency Transport
(Livingston, MT) Livingston’s Mission Field Airport will soon be adding a new weather camera system to its premises thanks to generous funding provided by the Montana Department of Transportation in collaboration with Livingston HealthCare and local business Wolf’s Mercantile. The weather camera, which provides fixed-wing pilots real-time ground condition data before landing, will enhance the safety of Livingston air traffic—and transform the ability Livingston HealthCare to provide life-saving air transport to those in need.
“Livingston’s unpredictable wind and weather have always posed challenges for emergency pilots,” says Stacy Kohler, Chief Nursing Officer at Livingston HealthCare. “The new weather station will significantly enhance the ability of fixed-wing aircraft to land safely near us. It will also provide helicopters—who fly visually—with real-time weather conditions in Livingston. The new weather cam allows us to deliver timely, effective emergency care options to our patients and community.”
Currently, emergency fixed-wing pilots often face uncertainty about weather conditions at the Livingston airport, leading to diversions to Bozeman and delaying critical medical care. The new station will allow fixed-wing pilots to make informed decisions about whether they can safely land at Mission Field Airport. It will also provide helicopter medic crews greater insight into weather conditions that they fly through.
Weather and location should not be obstacles for patients to get the level of care they need. And because fixed-wing aircraft can fly with instruments under a broader range of weather conditions and cover greater distances more quickly than helicopters, they complement each other well. “Each day, weather conditions dictate whether fixed-wing or helicopters are the safest, most efficient transport for patients to get from point A to B,” says Livingston HealthCare trauma coordinator Jenn Schmid, RN, CFRN, CEN. “Together, they create a bridge between smaller and larger hospitals so patients can get the care they need.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Livingston Mission Field, Wolf’s Mercantile and the MTDOT. Their vision and generosity in supporting this project. Their collaboration will improve the health and safety of Park County residents and the surrounding areas,” says Kohler. The weather station will be installed by MTDOT Aeronautics Division in Spring 2025.
About Livingston HealthCare: Livingston HealthCare, in Livingston, Montana, is a not-for-profit, 25-bed critical access hospital with a Level 4 Community Trauma Facility, a multispecialty provider clinic, as well as rehabilitation, and home-based services. Livingston HealthCare is an affiliate of Billings Clinic. www.LivingstonHealthCare.org
CONTACT:
Lindsey Pennell, Marketing and Communications Manager
Lindsey.Pennell@LivingstonHealthCare.org 406.823.6640