The Billings Fire Department and Montana Army National Guard developed a partnership in 2024 to utilize BFD Paramedics on search and rescue flight missions. This partnership is the first in the region and allows BFD Paramedics to provide patient care and treatment in austere environments and in flight on the Army National Guard's Blackhawk helicopters. The BFD Paramedics who are chosen for this program are seasoned advanced life support providers for the Billings Fire Department and have gone through a Yellowstone County credentialing process. These BFD Paramedic then undergo a comprehensive training program taught by Army National Guard officers, pilots, and crew chiefs to learn helicopter operations, long-line insertion, and patient extraction.
During search and rescue missions, the National Guard Army Blackhawk helicopter crew will insert the BFD Paramedic via long-line and provide on-scene injury assessment and care. The patient and BFD Paramedic will then be airlifted back to the helicopter and rendezvous on the ground with the closest medical facility or hospital flight team. Currently, we have four BFD Paramedics trained to this specialist level and anticipate an additional three being taught in the future.
