Kettering to build helicopter base in Preble County

Kettering Health Network will add a permanent helicopter base in Preble County to its fleet of ground and air medical transport services. Photo/Provided

Kettering Health Network will add a permanent helicopter base in Preble County to its fleet of ground and air medical transport services. Photo/Provided

Kettering Health Network is planning to build a permanent home base for a new medical transport helicopter at The Preble County Medical Center in Eaton, company officials announced Thursday.

The base, which will be established through a partnership between Dayton-based Kettering Health Network and MedFlight, will include a hangar and crew living quarters. The base will be staffed by pilots, mechanics, and critical care nurses and paramedics. No cost or construction timetable have yet been determined.

“We are pleased to expand our partnership with MedFlight to serve the people of southwest Ohio and the surrounding counties,” says Fred Manchur, chief executive officer of Kettering Health Network. “Our partnership with MedFlight and Buckeye Ambulance improves our ability to provide life-saving service for people with life-threatening injuries or illness who need advanced care when minutes matter.”

MedFlight expects the establishment of the base to create 20 new jobs and anticipates hiring personnel from the region.

Kettering will have three helicopters that routinely serve residents in the network’s 16-county service area, and six additional helicopters across the state.

In July, Kettering partnered with Buckeye Ambulance to form Kettering Mobile Care, one of the largest hospital-based transport services consisting of 26 vehicles.

About the Author