Valdosta, GA- At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, city, county, and EMS officials ceremonially opened the AirLife Georgia base at Valdosta Regional Airport.

The helicopter based at VLD is the first of its kind in south Georgia. Prior to May 1st, the closest medevac unit came out of Quincy, FL. Jeff See, the regional director for AirLife Georgia’s parent company, Air Methods, said the new base will likely cut response time by at least 50 percent for those in the regional areas of south Georgia and north Florida.

Ironically, the primary copter was dispatched just prior to Wednesday’s event to an emergency in Hamilton County, FL. See said while AirLife will work with SGMC, the destination hospitals will depend on where the emergency occurs.

According to airport director Jim Galloway, the new base will house 21 permanent staff and crew. In addition, the base will also be a training facility for Air Methods’ employees at various other locations in the southeast.