If you’ve noticed Mercy Air helicopters flying overhead in southern Nevada, they’re often on their way to respond to critical emergencies. This week, Mercy Air achieved “First Responder” status, allowing their on-board medical teams to land directly at emergency scenes without waiting for ground crews to prepare a landing zone.

This change means faster response times, especially in remote areas, where helicopters can often arrive quicker than ground-based fire and law enforcement agencies. With this new designation, Mercy Air is poised to save even more lives by delivering timely medical care when every second counts.

“This designation reflects Air Methods’ commitment to maintaining the highest level of safety for its crews while ensuring rapid response in critical situations” said Air Methods Regional Aviation Manager Amber Brown. (Air Methods is the parent company of Mercy Air.)

According to this operating criteria, governing this designation, the Mercy Air crews will still rely on ground responders to secure landing zones when they are unable to locate a safe place to land or when potential hazards need to be cleared. Air Methods provides lifesaving care to more than 100,000 people each year.