A new emergency helicopter landing pad was opened and dedicated today by the Brown County Water Improvement District.  The landing pad, which was constructed by the Water District’s maintenance personnel, is located near the dam, adjacent to the Lake Patrol building, on the north side of the dam.

Previously, when there was a medical emergency in the lake area that required air transport, the medical helicopters had to find a field to land in, often in less than ideal conditions, and required assistance from ground personnel, usually from the Lake Dam Volunteer Fire Department.  Now the helicopters will always have a good landing site, even if the ground is wet, and the pad is lighted to facilitate night landings.  Also the longitude and latitude coordinates of the pad are recorded, so the helicopters, using GPS navigation, can fly directly to it, saving precious time.

Bobby Brinson with Air Evac Lifeteam commented:  “This helipad is going to be very important for us to be able to land in the event of a traumatic emergency or medical emergency anywhere in the area of Lake Brownwood.  This will give our aircraft along with other aircraft in our system the ability to come in and land with or without first responders being on the scene.  So this helipad is going to be a tremendous asset to the area.”

Pictured in the photograph above are (L-R) Harold Hogan, Brown County Justice of the Peace; Vance Hill, Brown County Sheriff; Paul Lilly, Brown County Judge; and three members of the Brown County Water Improvement District Board of Directors:  Johnny Hays, Bert Massey, and Jimmy Jones.