Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion                                Riley Little and Jessica Hyatt give a presentation on Guardian Flight Alaska to the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce at the Soldotna Sports Complex in Soldotna on Wednesday. Little is the membership sales manager and Hyatt is the business development specialist for Guardian Flight Alaska.

Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion Riley Little and Jessica Hyatt give a presentation on Guardian Flight Alaska to the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce at the Soldotna Sports Complex in Soldotna on Wednesday. Little is the membership sales manager and Hyatt is the business development specialist for Guardian Flight Alaska.

Private medevac company stations new hangar on peninsula

Guardian Flight Alaska offers medevac and air ambulance services.

A private medical air transportation company is setting up a new helicopter hangar on the Kenai Peninsula. On Wednesday, company representatives spoke to the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce about the services they provide and the perks of their membership program.

Guardian Flight Alaska is one of several companies in Alaska that offers medevac and air ambulance services in coordination with local emergency responders. At Wednesday’s luncheon, Jessica Hyatt, business development specialist for Guardian, talked about the company’s plans to station a new H125 AStar helicopter on the Kenai Peninsula.

The helicopter will be the first Guardian Flight aircraft permanently stationed on the peninsula. Hyatt said that, currently, Guardian flies one of their fixed-wing aircraft out of Anchorage or Fairbanks in order to provide services for the peninsula.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Hyatt said that with an increasing population on the Kenai, the company is anticipating more medevac and air ambulance services will be needed, and a helicopter based on the peninsula will be able to deliver those services faster than a plane coming from up north.

“We definitely saw that an additional helicopter to the peninsula was needed,” Hyatt said. “And this way we’re able to (have) a shorter flight time to get you where you need to go.”

Hyatt said that Guardian’s Kenai base of operations will be operational on April 1 of this year, and the company plans to hold an open house prior to that date. Hyatt said that Guardian will occupy a hangar previously owned by Grant Aviation on Granite Point Court near the Kenai Airport.

All Guardian flights, Hyatt said, have a crew that consists of a pilot, a paramedic and a flight nurse that are capable of performing triage and advanced medical services. For the new peninsula-based helicopter, Hyatt said that the company is looking to fill those three crew slots with local applicants.

While companies like Guardian provide an essential service in Alaska, the out-of-pocket expenses for being airlifted out of a backcountry trail can be astronomical if the service isn’t covered by insurance providers. In 2017, a report from KTOO in Juneau highlighted the story of one man who was charged $135,000 for being flown from Douglas Island to Seattle after crashing his car.

Riley Little, membership sales manager for Guardian, said during Wednesday’s presentation that a membership with Guardian would mean no out-of-pocket expenses for the services provided by the company, regardless of the person’s insurance status. Membership with Guardian costs $125 per year, Little said, and applies to every person living in the same household as the Guardian member. The membership is also valid in any other state where Guardian provides services and has no cap on the number of times the service can be used.

When asked about Guardian’s safety record, Hyatt cited a crash that occurred in January of 2019 near Kake — in which all three crew members died — as the only crash in the company’s 20 years of operation in Alaska.

In the event of an emergency that requires medevac services, Little said that Guardian members should make their membership known to 911 dispatchers and other emergency responders so that they know to notify Guardian and send one of their aircraft in lieu of another company. Members are given stickers to put on the backs of their cars to signify membership as well as cards and keychains that are meant to be stored with other insurance cards and information.

More in News

A table used by parties to a case sits empty in Courtroom 4 of the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski woman sentenced to 4 years in prison for 2023 drug death

Lawana Barker was sentenced for her role in the 2023 death of Michael Rodgers.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Seward resident arrested after Monday night police pursuit

Troopers say she led them on a high-speed chase on Kalifornsky Beach Road for around 7 miles.

Concert-goers listen to The Discopians at Concert on the Lawn on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
‘Dancing at the end of the world’

KBBI AM 890 hosted their annual Concert on the Lawn Saturday.

Lisa Gabriel unfurls a set beach seine during a test fishery for the gear near Clam Gulch, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Seine test fishery continues after board of fish calls for more data

The east side setnet fishery has been entirely closed in recent years to protect Kenai River king salmon

Jason Criss stands for a photo in Soldotna, Alaska, after being named a qualifier for the Special Olympics USA Games on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna athlete to compete in 2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Thousands of athletes from across all 50 states will be competing in 16 sports.

The entrance to the Homer Electric Association office is seen here in Kenai, Alaska on May 7, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
HEA opens bids for real property

The deadline to submit bids is 5 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. (right) attends a change of plea hearing related to the October 2023 fatal shooting of Brianna Hetrick on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Homer Courthouse in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Mondragon-Lopez sentenced for death of Homer woman

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. accepted a plea deal in February for the shooting of Brianna Hetrick.

Soldotna City Hall is seen on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs $395,000 capital plan

This year’s list of capital projects is “nominal compared to some past years,” according to officials.

A map of areas proposed for annexation by the City of Soldotna. (Provided by City of Soldotna)
Soldotna adds annexation proposal to ballot

The proposed annexation is split across five small areas around the city.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in