Life Flight grows again

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

HERMISTON – Life Flight Services will now have a presence in western Umatilla County. The air ambulance service has facilities in Pendleton and Walla Walla. This week, the Hermiston City Council approved renting the so-called caretaker’s residence to Life Flight.

The three-bedroom, two-bath home has been vacant since the caretaker retired in 2018. The lease is for two years.

“I think they have longer term plans for some potential operations at the Hermiston Airport or in the greater Hermiston area, but they wanted to get something up and operational as quickly as they can,” Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said.

The lease will generate $18,000 a year in new revenue for the airport. It’s also estimated that having a Life Flight helicopter based at the airport will generate between $5,000 and $10,000 per year in additional fuel sales profit. The city of Hermiston owns the fueling system at the airport.