A LifeFlight medical helicopter landed on the Bardwell Field at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 10 for Public Safety Awareness Day sponsored by Bates Emergency Medical Services and Campus Safety.
In an interview with Ned Friedman ‘24, co-chief of Bates EMS, he discussed his moment of inspiration for the event while watching Colby land a helicopter on their campus a few years ago. Then, he said, “Mark Cayer, the Bates Campus Safety Community Engagement Supervisor, took what I thought might be a pipe dream, and helped me turn it into reality.”
Members of local emergency response teams were present at the event, including the Lewiston Fire Department, Lewiston Police Department, Community Resource Team, the Androscoggin Emergency Management Agency, the Maine State Police and United Ambulance.
Friedman and EMS’s goal was to create an event “to introduce the Bates Community to the wonderful people who keep our community safe every single day.” By focusing on local agencies, Bates EMS could show students career options they may have never considered.
About 100 people gathered in front of Commons behind three orange cones. The crowd was made up of families with young kids and equal numbers of students. After the anticipation built for about five minutes one could hear the chopper coming in from the southwest. It looped above Smith and Garcelon fields before slowly lowering down. The wind that the blades kicked up knocked over the cones and shook the birch trees.
The helicopter landed with a full crew including Bates alum Jillian Sheltra ‘19, a LifeFlight paramedic, who stepped out to cheers. Moments later the crowd rushed forward across the snow to hear from her. She described the helicopter’s abilities, responsibilities, and the tools they had access to on board, including many state-of-the-art devices. Kids took turns stepping inside to admire the small space full with so much important equipment.
In addition to the helicopter landing, the Lewiston Police Department did a demonstration of their 100-foot ladder fire truck.
The most rewarding part of Friedman’s day was “looking around and hearing so many thoughtful and sincere questions being asked and interesting discussions being had.”
