Mountain Village Approves Heliport Permit

27 Apr Mountain Village Approves Heliport Permit

Heliport access for transporting critically ill patients a life-saving benefit of new facility

Dr. Diana Koelliker, Medical Director of Emergency Services & Telluride EMS Director

“In emergency care, minutes matter,” said Dr. Diana Koelliker, during a Joint Public Hearing between Mountain Village Town Council and Design Review Board.

Both Town Council and the Design Review Board agreed.

By unanimous vote, Mountain Village Town Council approved the Telluride Hospital District‘s (THD) Conditional Use Permit for a medical heliport at their envisioned new facility during Public Hearing on April 23.

Dr. Koelliker, Medical Director of Emergency & Trauma Services at the Telluride Medical Center (TMC), is intimately aware of how sensitive time is when critically ill patients require transports from TMC to other facilities.

During Thursday’s Public Hearing Dr. Koelliker shared details of three recent helicopter transfers where minutes mattered for critically ill patients.

Keep reading…

Heliport Face Sheet (from HeliExperts International LLC):

• There have been zero (0) civilian or general public deaths (people on the ground) resulting from a medical helicopter or hospital heliport in the past 30 years in the country. In that time, incredible improvements have been made in helicopter technology and safety.
• The modern helicopters that service Telluride have advanced safety equipment including night vision, terrain avoidance, traffic avoidance, satellite tracking along with excellent performance capabilities and a high reliability record.
• There are 43 heliports in Colorado above 8,200 feet. Altitude and weather play a role in flight safety, and pilots approved to fly into TMC are highly trained and qualified.
• The proposed location of the heliport meets or exceeds the recognized safety standards of the Federal Aviation Administration and the aviation and air medical industries in general. This includes compliance with the Federal, State and local building codes and standards.
• Any potential effects upon neighboring residential, office and educational areas are mitigated by the distance of the heliport landing pad.
• Sound abatement procedures will minimize the less than 45 seconds of take-off and landing, and there are no lights associated with the heliport that would cast any “beams” into the neighborhood.