Life-Guard

Life-Guard All three Life-Guard aircraft are dual engine, IFR capable and NVG equipped to maximize safety and capability.

Founded in 1981 as the first air medical service in Virginia, Carilion Clinic Life-Guard operates three Airbus EC-135 air medical helicopters covering over 15,000 square miles, and responding to requests throughout Virginia and the bordering states. Founded in 1981 as the first air medical service in Virginia, Carilion Clinic Life-Guard operates three Airbus EC-135 air medical helicopters covering over 15,000 square miles, and responding to requests throughout Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. Carilion Clinic Life-Guard is a CAMTS accredited provider, and a partner of Med-Trans Corporation (owner / operator of aviation services).

Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week 2026March 2-8, 2026Today we celebrate all the amazing women in our company that keep th...
03/06/2026

Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week 2026

March 2-8, 2026

Today we celebrate all the amazing women in our company that keep the wheels turning!

Hope to see you there!
03/04/2026

Hope to see you there!

Congrats to our flight nurse, Peter James, who passed his panel with our medical director and earned his wings today! Pi...
02/27/2026

Congrats to our flight nurse, Peter James, who passed his panel with our medical director and earned his wings today! Pictured below with preceptor, Adam Berger, and Dr. Inman. 

Congrats to our flight nurse, Jessica Barron, who passed her panel with our medical director and earned her wings today!...
02/25/2026

Congrats to our flight nurse, Jessica Barron, who passed her panel with our medical director and earned her wings today! Pictured below with her preceptor, Shane Wheeler. 

Today we proudly celebrate National Critical Care Transport DayAt Life-Guard, we honor the extraordinary nurses, paramed...
02/18/2026

Today we proudly celebrate National Critical Care Transport Day

At Life-Guard, we honor the extraordinary nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, and support teams who deliver lifesaving care when every second counts.

From rural highways to hospital rooftops, from scene calls to interfacility transports — critical care transport professionals bring ICU-level expertise to patients wherever they are. Their skill, calm under pressure, and commitment to excellence truly make the difference between life and loss.

To all critical care transport personnel everywhere:
Thank you for your courage.
Thank you for your compassion.
Thank you for answering the call — day and night.

We are proud to stand beside you in this mission

It’s !!! As we celebrate our 45th year of service, we thought it would be fun to share some photos from the past… The ...
02/13/2026

It’s !!! As we celebrate our 45th year of service, we thought it would be fun to share some photos from the past…

The Bell 206 Jet Ranger started the program off in 1981. This aircraft was configured with 1 pilot and 1 paramedic with capabilities for 1 patient. In less than one year, Roanoke Memorial Hospital assumed operations from the private businessmen and has been doing so as the Carilion Clinic ever since. The Bell 206 was replaced as the primary in 1984 and eventually sold in 1987.

02/07/2026

The FAA fined and suspended or revoked the certificates of multiple drone pilots in 2025 for alleged unsafe and unauthorized operations, including flights near major sporting events, emergency response activities, and in restricted airspace. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3O6VqBJ.

For more information on safe and legal drone operations, visit https://bit.ly/2x9yDKQ.

In addition to celebrating Life-Guard’s 45th Anniversary yesterday, we were honored to recognize our incredible flight c...
02/06/2026

In addition to celebrating Life-Guard’s 45th Anniversary yesterday, we were honored to recognize our incredible flight crew with Years of Service awards. We proudly celebrated team members marking at least 5, 10, 15, 20, and even 25 years of service.

We are truly blessed to work alongside so many passionate providers who love what they do and continue to serve our community with dedication and heart. 💙🚁

Yes, yes—we know the social media “rules” about spacing out posts for optimal exposure 😉 but we’re just too excited not ...
02/06/2026

Yes, yes—we know the social media “rules” about spacing out posts for optimal exposure 😉 but we’re just too excited not to keep sharing about our 45th Anniversary Celebration yesterday!

And don’t worry—we’ll be celebrating all year long.

Our success over the past 45 years is largely because of the incredible supporters who have stood by us along the way—and that includes YOU.

Speaking of supporters, a heartfelt thank you to our aviation partner, Med-Trans, and to our Vice President, Tim Auwarter, for all you do in support of our program and our mission. We truly couldn’t do this without you.

Check out our annual VALUES AWARD WINNERS, recognized at our 45th Anniversary Celebration yesterday! Each honoree is pro...
02/06/2026

Check out our annual VALUES AWARD WINNERS, recognized at our 45th Anniversary Celebration yesterday! Each honoree is provided a jacket with our Life-Guard logo as a small token of our appreciation. From left to right: Donnie McBrayer, Jason Chrisley, Jefferson Freed, Alex Wirt, John Gabel, and Kellie Lavine. Not pictured: Shane Wheeler, Amanda Testerman, Stephanie McKinney (ret), Miranda Landrum (ret), and Will Hodges.

********************

Shane, congrats on being recognized as the Annual CURIOSITY Values Award recipient for your work on the transition to Glidescopes.

Alex, Jason, and Amanda, congrats on being noted as the Annual COURAGE Values Award recipients for your efforts on transporting a critical OB patient, as recognized by the healthcare team at the sending facility.

John, Miranda, and flight follower Will, congrats on being recognized as the Annual COMMITMENT Values Award recipients for your efforts early on in the Field STEMI Alert process change. It is speculated that had it not been for the flight follower's adherence to the new early activation process and the exceptional care of the medical flight crew, this particular patient would not have survived, but instead was able to be discharged without any neurological deficits.

Donnie, congrats on being recognized as the Annual COMPASSION Values Award recipient for the time you spent learning about K9 Transport with Erlanger. Looking forward to the future!

Alex, Jefferson, Kellie, and Steph, congrats on being recognized as the Annual COLLABORATION Values Award recipients for the time you spent visiting AirBus and Stat Medevac as part of the H135 Configuration Team efforts.

Thank you to everyone who wished us a Happy 45th Anniversary yesterday! We were grateful to spend time together reflecti...
02/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who wished us a Happy 45th Anniversary yesterday! We were grateful to spend time together reflecting on where we’ve been—and looking ahead to what’s next.

We know y’all love seeing photos of our aircraft (and so do we!), but we want to pause and recognize that the flight program we are today is only possible because of the people behind the mission—past and present pilots, aviation mechanics, flight paramedics, flight nurses, flight followers, our Neo-Peds team, leadership, and the countless supporters who have stood with us over the years.

Cheers to the next 45 years and beyond! 🚁✨

Address

431 McClanahan Street SW
Roanoke, VA
540-981-8731

Telephone

+18883777628

Website

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