Contact: Jennifer Hardcastle, RN
REACH Director of Program Development
 (707) 324-2400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REACH HANGAR CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE

AT CHARLES M. SCHULZ SONOMA COUNTY AIRPORT

REACH Maintenance and Medical Base Consolidate Operations in Airport’s Largest Hangar

Feb. 1, 2005 – SANTA ROSA, Calif. --- REACH Air Medical Services will host an open house at their newly constructed hangar at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  The event is in celebration of the completion of REACH’s new 31,446 square-foot hangar which will be home to REACH’s maintenance department as well as the Santa Rosa helicopter and airplane base of operations including pilots and clinical crew.

REACH has worked in conjunction with a partnership of local developers, Clem Carinelli, Jeff Civian and Mike Sass, Architect Alan B. Cohen, as well as Civil Engineer and Airport Planner Mead & Hunt, to design the two-story hangar spanning 31,446 square feet. The hangar will consolidate REACH’s aircraft fleet of 14, maintenance staff of 21and will be the new home to the Santa Rosa helicopter and airplane crews of 33, which in the past have occupied six hangars and two buildings at the airport.  REACH is leasing the land from the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. 

“The new facility is testament to REACH’s commitment to high-quality operations,” remarked Greg Stone, REACH’s chief operating officer.  “REACH is growing and expanding, and as a result, we are looking forward to the increased efficiencies of operating out of this new hangar.”

 The hangar is located at 2360 Becker Blvd., at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport.  REACH invites media to the hangar for light appetizers and desserts on Feb. 2, 2005 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Please call (707) 324-2400 for additional information.

About REACH Air Medical Services:  REACH Air Medical Services (www.reachairambulance.com), headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, provides helicopter and airplane patient transfers for critically ill and injured patients.  Since REACH’s inception in 1987 the company has performed more than 25,000 air ambulance missions.  Currently, REACH supports operations in Concord, Lakeport, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, and Redding.  REACH is privately owned and operated.

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FACT SHEET
REACH Air Medical Services
Company Overview

Company Overview:        REACH Air Medical Services (REACH), headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., supports operations in Concord, Lakeport, Redding, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa, California.  REACH provides air medical transport services to all age groups utilizing rotor (helicopter) and fixed wing (airplane) aircraft regionally, nationally and internationally and has performed more than 25,000 air ambulance missions since its inception in 1987.  REACH transports approximately 3,000 patients per year, including 700 children per year, and has been the primary provider of air ambulance services for critically ill and injured children for Children's Hospital of Oakland since 1993.  REACH has been CAMTS (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems) accredited since 1998. REACH is privately owned and operated. 

Company Incepted:                         April 1987

Employees:                                         131

Crew Configuration:                        Pilot(s), Critical Care Flight Nurse, Critical Care Flight Paramedic and/or
                                                                Flight Respiratory Therapist

Aircraft:                                                REACH operates and maintains 12 emergency services aircraft including nine helicopters and three airplanes.

Rotor-Wing Service Area:              Typically within 150 nautical miles of the base

Fixed-Wing Service Area:              Regionally, nationally and internationally

Fact:       The REACH maintenance department, one of the preeminent modification shops in the industry, operates under its own 145 Air Carrier Certificate.  REACH’s FAA licensed Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanics customize both cockpit and patient care cabins to a higher standard of safety and utility.  REACH operates under our own FAA-approved inspection program and has received a repair station license from the FAA, indicating REACH adheres to the highest standards. 

Fact:       The REACH medical crew specializes in the transport of critically ill and/or injured pediatric patients. 
This commitment to pediatrics has catalyzed the REACH staff's heavy emphasis on pediatric critical care education and training.

Fact:       REACH operates utilizing instrument flight rules (IFR) coupled with Global Positioning System (GPS) routing and approaches to region airports and hospitals.  The use of IFR/GPS routing and approaches allows REACH to respond under adverse weather conditions which typically prevent other air ambulance services from responding.

Who to Contact for More Information:

Chief Executive Officer:                                      Jim Adams
Chief Operating Officer:                                     Greg Stone
Director of Aviation Operations:                       Jim Larsen
Director of Program Development: Jennifer Hardcastle, RN
Director of Clinical Operations:                         Sean Russell, EMT-P, RT

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Last Updated:    February 2005