We recommend that you upgrade to the latest version of your browser.
A day in the air ambulance service

Flow in Førde

A highly considered and carefully planned helicopter base in Førde ensures broad smiles among those who work there.

tre menn i uniform og en mann i dress sittende foran ambulansehelikopter

Photo: Elin Åsbakk Lind

From left: Rescue worker Øystein Uglum Henjum, doctor Svein Ove Vingsnes, pilot Kjell Ove Frøyset, and managing director of Helse Førde Arve Varden.

- Everything flows so smoothly, explains the crew when they describe why they are so pleased with the base.

The base was ready in 2014 and is therefore already 11 years old, but it still holds up well according to those who use it daily.

This is precisely because it has been very thoughtfully designed with regard to the tasks that need to be performed at the base.

Sleeping Well

- We went through several rounds and changed much of what was proposed in the first draft, says Tomas Marcinkowski, lead rescuer at Norsk Luftambulanse AS.

The bedrooms were initially designed to be right next to the helicopter deck, but they were moved all the way to the back of the premises with good sound insulation. Now even the rescue helicopter can land here, and the crew cannot hear it if they are sleeping.

The flow they are talking about relates to how the premises are adapted to the flow of their work tasks.

The operations room is centrally located between the hangar, kitchen, and changing rooms. This means that those preparing the helicopter or changing for a mission can participate and keep up with the planning of the mission in the operations room.

The hangar has all service rooms and equipment rooms nearby, and the patient can be wheeled straight into the hospital indoors.

Ambulansehelikopter og redningsmann bak
Patients can be transported indoors from the hangar at the base to Førde Hospital.

- The ambulance is located nearby, and the AMK centre is on the floor above. This makes it easy and quick to go up to them for collaboration and debriefing, says anaesthetist Gregers Halvorsen at Helse Førde HF.

Visiting All Bases

Even though the work inside the base flows well, there can be a lot of turbulence when they are out on missions. Mountains and fjords often create challenging weather, which means that missions must be assessed and planned carefully.

Randi Spørck, managing director of Luftambulansetjenesten HF, aims to visit all the country’s bases, and now it was Førde’s turn.

En kvinne sitter med ryggen til og snakker med tre menn

Photo: Elin Åsbakk Lind

Managing Director Randi Spørck in conversation with the crew at the Førde base.

- It is of great value to me to hear what those working at the base have to say in terms of thoughts and experiences, so that together we can further develop the national service for the benefit of the patients, she says.

Overall preparedness and collaboration with the Main Rescue Centre and the rescue service were among the topics discussed during the base visit.

A group of people sitting around a table
The base visit led to many fruitful discussions. From left: Steinar Olsen, clinic manager at the Prehospital Clinic at Oslo University Hospital, Bjørn Morten Øen, clinic director of the surgical clinic at Helse Førde, Kari Anne Indrebø, head of the Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Surgery (AIO), Arve Varden, managing director of Helse Førde, and Tomas Marcinkowski, lead rescuer at NLA.

Five interesting facts about Førde Base

Air Operator: Norwegian Air Ambulance AS. 
Aircraft: 1 unit H135 (Airbus) 
Readiness: Continuous 24-hour standby
Medical Responsibility: Health Førde HF
Number of missions per year: 477 (2023)

Last updated 4/30/2026