Volusia County Bell 407 Comes to the Rescue During Daytona Beach Bike Week

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Every March, Daytona Beach Bike Week attracts more than 100,000 motorcyclists ready to ride along the beautiful Florida coast. This year, one unfortunate biker experienced a nearly-fatal accident while taking a turn into the Volusia County roadside. Luckily, the Volusia County Sherriff’s Office Bell 407 was already in the air and on the scene in minutes. Pilot Dean Balmforth and flight paramedic John Oldham delivered the patient to Halifax Health Medical Center and added another successful medevac mission to their history.

With swamps, wetlands and a population of more than 550,000 residents, keeping Volusia County, Florida safe and connected to resources is a full-time mission that requires airborne support. Which is why the airborne unit owns and operates three Bell 407s. “There’s a critical need because we are such a large county,” Capt. Erik Eagan said. “In order to get to that golden hour and get you to the hospital for emergency treatment, we really need this resource. There’s a huge benefit to having this resource also for law enforcement, being able to follow fleeing vehicles. . . . It’s just an awesome tool that we use.”

An ideal platform for helicopter emergency medical services and law enforcement support, the Bell 407 is known for its reliability and consistency. "The 407 is an excellent aircraft,” said Chief Pilot, Greg Brooks. “They’re very forgiving aircraft. They’re very durable.” This law enforcement team manages to keep at least one Bell 407 ready to go at all times. “It’s extremely rare that we do not have an aircraft available,” said Brooks. “I can probably count on one hand over the last 25 years where that’s happened.”

Whether reaching kayakers stuck in swamp to providing medical support to neighboring counties, the Volusia County Sherriff’s Office has a Bell 407 ready to get the job done.

About Bell

Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.

We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.

Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.

About Textron

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders; our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of our products; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political conditions that adversely impact demand for our products; volatility in interest rates or foreign exchange rates; and risks related to our international business, including establishing and maintaining facilities in locations around the world and relying on joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, representatives, consultants and other business partners in connection with international business, including in emerging market countries.

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