First responders in flight: Nurses on medical helicopter team fly into action

As the REACT medical helicopter landed at Mercyhealth Hospital in Crystal Lake, some nurses and other hospital staff members came outside to catch a quick glimpse, and some recorded the landing on their phones.

Almost every landing or takeoff is recorded by their “fans,” flight nurse Rachael Wilson said. Flight nurse Kyla Ruf, who manages the REACT’s social media accounts, likes to post videos people send them.

Mercyhealth’s REACT stands for Regional Emergency Air Care Transport and is a team of eight flight nurses, four flight medics, four pilots and two mechanics that serves the most critically injured and ill patients across northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa. Every day of the year they’re out there, caring forpregnant mothers, intensive care unit patients being taken to other hospitals or critically injured patients from car crashes, fires and other medical emergencies.

The best part of the job is to help trauma patients get their needs rapidly. That quick response has saved lives more times than I can count.”

—  Kyla Ruf, flight nurse for Mercyhealth's REACT team

The REACT helicopter can fly up to two hours on one gas tank and averages speeds of about 140 mph. A flight from Rockford to Crystal Lake takes 15 minutes, Ruf said. Being able to cover ground so quickly is a huge lifesaving benefit to their trauma patients. The team carries blood and other medical resources on the helicopter, so they’re able to provide care that would normally take an hour to give, she said.

“The best part of the job is to help trauma patients get their needs rapidly,” Ruf said. “That quick response has saved lives more times than I can count.”

As for the worst part of the job, all Ruf has to say is the suits are a bit scratchy and she doesn’t care for sleeping in a twin-sized bed during overnight shifts. Sometimes the extreme weather conditions of intense heat to polar vortex winters can be overwhelming, but being able to do something that matters every day is rewarding, she said.

“It’s a lot of responsibility when we put on the suit,” she said. “But you know what you signed up for.”

Their days have gotten “significantly busier” since a nearby medical helicopter base shut down, Ruf said. With the upcoming warmer weather that health care professionals call “trauma season,” they are expecting call frequency to increase.

Before every call, the team assesses the weather to see if it is safe for flying. Dangerous weather includes high winds, low clouds, ice and thunderstorms. Safety is their top priority, so you won’t see the REACT team doing anything out of the movies like rappelling from the helicopter, Wilson said.

“If we’re in danger, then it doesn’t do the patient any good either,” Ruf said.

Ruf knew she wanted to be a flight nurse since she was in high school, she said. As a flight nurse for over two years now, she loves the autonomy and unpredictability everyday brings.

“It’s way cooler than I ever imagined it to be,” she said.

Wilson, who has been a flight nurse for six years, knew she wanted to work in the field since she started nursing school. She describes her team as tight-knit and a work family whose members all share a passion to help the community when they are in need.

“We love what we do as much as people want us to be there for them,” she said.