Two are always better than one, any day of the week

Showing what a smooth landing it is now for a medical helicopter Sept. 28, LifeLink sent a flight crew to the helipad at the Holcombe United Methodist Church, which recently repaved the parking lot and added markings to designate the landing area. To help that along, the Lake Holcombe Lions Club gave $10,000 for the project, to be used specifically for the landing zone area. Present for the donation, left to right, are Luke Stoflet, LifeLink III partner engagement manager; Matt Boulding, Cornell fire chief; Mike Schmitt, Lake Holcombe Lions Club president; Jeff Anders, Holcombe United Methodist Church/Lake Holcombe Lions Club member; Paul Messmer, pastor at Holcombe United Methodist Church; Amy Clark, Cornell Area Ambulance Service director; and Bryan Olichwier, Lake Holcombe Lions Club second president. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

There are just some things that are better close together, like Kwik Trips, McDonald’s, Dollar Generals and emergency landing pads. No, you didn’t read that wrong, the closer helicopter zones are to each other, the better.

“The helicopter usually gets here before the ambulance,” said Paul Messmer, pastor at Holcombe United Methodist Church. “Minutes matter to each and every one of us.”

Whether it’s from a car crash, a nasty break from a fall, heart attack or stroke, when someone has a medical emergency, it’s important to act fast.

Now, thanks to efforts from the Holcombe United Methodist Church, the Lake Holcombe Lions Club and others, an asphalt paved helipad has been designated as a landing zone at the church. The spot has long been used as a site for transporting in a medical emergency, but was in dire need of repair.

While still functional, the paved parking lot at the church was in rough shape – literally – providing not only a bumpy ride for the patient on a gurney, but also a tipsy landing for the helicopter. Realizing how important a helipad is for the community and wanting to carry on the work started by former church member Mary Jane Larson, the church took on repaving of the parking lot.

They also made sure to install markings on the designated landing space, so the pilots know right where to set the craft down.

“It’s a proper helipad now,” said Lake Holcombe Lions Club president Mike Schmitt.

It’s been at least two decades, possibly more, since Larson approached the Cornell Area Ambulance Service and Cornell Area Fire Department, about using the church parking lot for a transport site. It’s not safe or convenient, to land a helicopter on a roadway or bridge, but it can be done.

Thanks to Larson’s foresight, that rarely has to happen in Holcombe, near the main part of the town.

“She’s the one that was very instrumental in having it be here,” said Messmer.

When looking at maintaining the legacy of community service Larson started, the church knew they needed help and reached out to the Lions, asking the club to fund the helipad portion of the lot, while the church paid for the rest. Since the landing site is a community necessity, the Lions were all onboard.

“They (church) spent a lot of money on the whole thing,” said Schmitt. “We weren’t here to pave the parking lot, we were here to help them build a helipad, that they graciously made available to all of us.”

With the addition of a brand new helipad right at the Chippewa/Rusk County line, both ends of the lake are covered, in the event a helicopter is called in.

Even if the church parking lot is full, a chopper can land safely and if an event is happening, those at the church are ready to jump into action.

“We’re going to move cars,” said Messmer. “That’s the great thing about this facility and doing that, is we can.”

It truly does take everyone in a community to get things done, as judged by the donations for the church helipad given by the ambulance and fire department, as well as snow plowing at no charge from business owner Tucker Hetchler. Because of all that, between the two helipads, emergency personnel can get help for severe medical cases as quickly as possible, using both locations, if necessary.

Schmitt, as a resident and club member, expressed his gratitude for the church and their willingness to serve the community.

“I hope everyone appreciates it at the end of the day,” he said.