09/19/2025
Thankful to work with such a great team of people! We are just as grateful to the first responders, volunteers and everyone involved that makes our job so easy and safe! We couldn’t do it without you!
On the evening of Wednesday September 17th 2025 the Big Horn County Sheriffs Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call for an unresponsive patient near the Town of Shell, Wyoming.
Shell Volunteer Fire Department, Cody Regional Health, First Flight of Wyoming and Big Horn County Sheriffs Office all were dispatched to the scene.
While on scene it was determined by paramedics on scene that the patient was critical and needed rapid emergency air transportation to a higher level of care in Billings Montana.
During the response to the scene First Flight of Wyoming performed some low passes near the Town of Shell Wyoming in an attempt to locate a safe spot to land.
After their low passes it was determined that there was no safe place near the scene to land. Emergency responders established a safe landing zone approximately 1 mile from the scene.
The male patient was transported via Cody Regional Health ground ambulance to the landing zone and was transferred to First Flight of Wyoming.
We want to sincerely thank First Flight of Wyoming for their unwavering ability to respond to scene calls in such a timely manner all while providing an expert professional level of care to our citizens.
This is an extremely valuable resource that we and many citizens of the County cant appreciate enough and may take for granted at times.
The ability of First Flight of Wyoming to conduct these missions at night with such adverse flying circumstances and rapidly evolving situations are second to none.
To the emergency responders, volunteer responders and deputies who dropped everything to respond to this critical incident, we thank you for your quick thinking and adaptability.
Thank you First Flight of Wyoming and all responding agencies for providing the highest level of care possible. We cant appreciate you all enough!
-Sheriff Ken Blackburn