PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — MMG Insurance Company joined LifeFlight of Maine on March 30 at Northern Light AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle to celebrate the upgrade to LifeFlight’s helicopter fleet with the addition of two new aircraft.
LifeFlight initiated a fundraising campaign in 2017 to replace their aging helicopter fleet. In 2019, MMG Insurance answered the call by committing $25,000 toward LifeFlight’s campaign. Following the generosity of more than 6,000 donors, LifeFlight was able to upgrade one aircraft at the end of 2020 and a second aircraft in January.
The new helicopters are Agusta 109 SP models which can fly faster than the previous aircraft, have greater weight carrying capacity, and provide more workspace for patient care. Additionally, the new helicopters are also equipped with state-of-the-art aviation technology providing increased safety and reliability for statewide travel in varying weather conditions.
“LifeFlight of Maine provides an essential service to Aroostook County and across Maine and we are proud to support the upgrade to their fleet,” said Larry Shaw, MMG president/CEO. “The new helicopters boast advanced technology and capabilities that will allow LifeFlight to better serve rural Maine communities for years to come.”
LifeFlight strives to provide critical life-saving care and medical transport for every person in every community across the State of Maine. In the past three years, LifeFlight has transported over 600 patients from Aroostook County to facilities that provide specialized care.
“As LifeFlight works to upgrade our entire fleet of frontline helicopters and build a safe and reliable critical care transport system, we depend on support from community partners like MMG Insurance,” said LifeFlight of Maine Executive Director Thomas Judge.
“The new aircraft we are celebrating can make the trip from Presque Isle to Bangor 10 minutes faster than before. They have a larger interior workspace and onboard technology that will accommodate future medical equipment and treatments. We are incredibly grateful for MMG’s generous gift which helped bring these aircraft to Maine,” Judge said.
LifeFlight’s fundraising campaign continues with the goal to secure the funds needed for the third aircraft upgrade to the fleet. A virtual celebration, which will include an in-flight tour of one of the new helicopters, will be broadcast live on Facebook at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 15, to introduce the two new aircraft. View the event on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LifeFlightOfMaine.
Supporters may also visit www.lifeflightmaine.org to learn more and contribute to LifeFlight’s mission.
