A small bridge at Hitachi Energy's factory in Alamo is expected to make a big difference when every second counts.
The company has finished installing a new aluminum pedestrian bridge at the helicopter landing zone on its property, WBBJ reported. The bridge spans a ditch that emergency crews previously had to cross on foot while carrying patients on stretchers.
Crews use the landing zone to fly patients to trauma centers across the region. On Monday, Crockett County first responders gathered at the site to mark the bridge's completion.
Sean Smith, factory manager at Hitachi Energy Alamo, explained why the project mattered. "This side has been used as a landing site for evac for several years. The main issue that they have is crossing the ditch that lies between the road and the landing site, and this is just a way to get to be able to transport patients safely," Smith said.
Hitachi Energy designed the crossing and paid for the materials, and local contractor MWP donated the installation work.
In rural counties like Crockett County, medical helicopters are often the fastest way to get a critically injured or seriously ill patient to a major hospital. Having a safe, level path from the road to the aircraft means crews can move patients with less risk of a slip or fall along the way.
The project is an example of a local employer and a local contractor teaming up with first responders to solve a practical problem in their own community.
Sources: WBBJ; Hitachi Energy Alamo; Crockett County first responders