This is the first installment of the Daily American Republic's annual Thankful People series.
For Nikki Peek, Tim Burmitt and Brent Fisher, every day on the job presents new challenges. As members of the Poplar Bluff Air Evac Lifeteam, those challenges involve saving lives and responding promptly.
“We generally work a 24-hour shift,” Peek said. “There are some days we have where we stay busy for the whole shift.”
When the team is not flying, they are continuing their educations, practicing their different skill sets, or engaging in community outreach. Peek said that each day starts with a narcotic count and then a blood check aboard the helicopter.
“Since the space does carry blood, the temperatures are very closely monitored,” Peek said.
When Burmitt, the pilot of the team, comes in for his 12-hour shift, he begins the process of pre-flighting the aircraft.
“I check the fuel system and make sure we are ready to fly,” he said. “I check the weather patterns for the day as well.”
For the Lifeteam, the motivation is multi-faceted.
“We all have, you know, different motivations for being here,” Peek said. “We have great community support here. In fact, anytime we are out in the community, we get thanked at least once for doing our jobs.”
Peek said the relationship with the community of Poplar Bluff makes coming to work feel like a home to her.
“There’s a lot of volunteer services that we deal with, you know, taking time out of their day to help us,” she reflected. “...That’s pretty remarkable.”
Brandon Graham, a supervisor who recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary with the air evac team, echoed that sentiment.
“We actually have several groups that come up to the base and see if they can feed us for the holiday while we are working,” Graham said. “They will invite us to dinners and gatherings within the community for us to attend and be a part of. They remember us.”
Peek has had several community members stop her to thank her personally.
“Somebody runs into Walmart in a flight suit and the actual citizens of the community will stop and talk to us,” she said. “And we have several former patients that come by and visit us.”
Every team member of the Poplar Bluff Air Evac Lifeteam has a motivation for being there and is thankful for the community they continuously serve.
“I’m thankful for my family,” Peek said. “For their love and support for me to able to work these long hours.”
“I am grateful for my family, my wife and my kids,” said Burmitt. “I am also thankful for this job where I can serve the community that I grew up in.”
Fisher shared the love of his dog as his thankful takeaway.
“His name is Nitro,” he laughed. “And he’s a mixed-breed dog. I have raised him since birth.”
All of the team members agreed with one statement: They all enjoy the work that they do.
“I say that if you truly enjoy what you do you never work a day in your life and that is true,” Peek said. “And I will continue to do this job until that changes and it begins to feel like work.”
Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air ambulance service in the United States, with more than 150 mutually supporting bases across 18 states. The company was established in 1985 by a group of citizens in West Plains, Missouri.