Woods Bay woman loves her job with A.L.E.R.T

Linda Chambers  has been a nurse for 14 years, 11 of which she’s been a flight nurse for A.L.E.R.T.

A.L.E.R.T stands for Advanced Life-support Emergency Rescue team. The helicopter ambulance is based at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The crew of pilots, nurses and medics are often the best bet for saving lives of patients with traumatic accidents, and quickly transporting patients to the care they need.

Each flight nurse and paramedic works one 24-hour shift on the helicopter each week and a 12-hour shift on call for the fixed-wing plane. 

Chambers said they have snowmobiled into the Jewel Basin, hiked in Glacier Park, ridden horses into the backcountry and have been dropped off on the top of mountains to get to patients.

Once they’ve gotten to the patient they try to stabilize them, and then begin transport.

“It’s very time sensitive to get your traumas in quickly,” Chambers said. “We try to be in and out of there in 15 minutes max. It could be the difference between life and death of the patient.”

Chambers said it takes about 15 minutes to fly a patient from inside Glacier National Park to Kalispell Regional Medical center. It might take an ambulance well over an hour.

Chambers started her career as an EMT, which led her to working for A.L.E.R.T. She had responded to a bad accident on Lookout Pass when an air-ambulance flew in, and she knew she wanted to fly and save lives.

“A helicopter flew in and I was just in awe of what they did,” she said.

Before becoming a flight nurse Chambers had to become a registered nurse and spent three years working in critical care in an emergency room. Then there are other certifications, and continued education to be a nurse on the helicopter or plane. All of the A.L.E.R.T team members are specially trained in critical care and advanced life support.

Chambers is still certified as an EMT as well. Not only does it help her stay trained and helps with working with ground responders, she enjoys serving her community.

“Nursing, I think, is just one of those wonderful professions that gives back to the community,” she said.

Chambers has been the A.L.E.R.T Chief Flight Nurse for the last three years — the head of the medical team. She oversees 22 team members, and though she doesn’t get to fly as much as she used to, the position is still rewarding. 

“They’re a great group,” she said. “The community is very fortunate to have the dedication of this crew, and I am very lucky to be part of them.”

The frequency of calls the team receives varies. Last summer, Chambers said A.L.E.R.T responded to seven calls in just one day, five of which were in Glacier Park. The program has responded to over 13,000 calls since its establishment 40 years ago.

In addition to responding quickly to incidents, the team will also transport patients to other medical facilities, and help train other local responders.

Chambers said for herself and many of the team members love flying, and the adrenaline that comes with the job.  They are all quick to adapt and adjust to the variety of situations they may find themselves in. “You definitely have to be able to react quickly, and put your thinking cap on quickly,” she said. “It’s certainly not a job for the meek or mild by any stretch.”

Despite the challenges that come with the job, Chambers said the crew is all very proud to fly for A.L.E.R.T. “All of our flight nurses and medics say they can’t see themselves doing anything else,” she said. “It’s very rewarding. There’s nothing better than helping people. There’s just no other feeling like it.”

A.L.E.R.T was established in the Flathead Valley in 1975. A logger had been seriously injured working in a remote area. A private helicopter rescued the man but there was no medical crew. The patient was transported in a basket outside of the helicopter, but not being able to receive medical treatment in flight, he died. After this incident his fellow loggers rallied the medical community to establish an air-ambulance. At the time, the only hospital-based helicopter life support system was based out of Denver.

In 1978 A.L.E.R.T began to face financial difficulties. The community responded by forming an advisory board, which established an effort to gain financial support from the community. 

One of these efforts is the annual A.L.E.R.T banquet, which will be Saturday, April 25, at the trade center building at the Flathead County Fair Grounds. The banquet is the major annual fundraiser for the program.

“It’s wonderful that the community backs us so well,” Chambers said. “If the community didn’t have this program there would be a lot more bad outcomes.”

The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $300 per couple and include a hosted cocktail hour, buffett dinner, and prize drawings. 

For more information on the banquet call 406-752-1710.