ROCK HILL — When someone’s life is on the line, every second counts. That’s when training kicks in.

That’s why a helicopter crew from LifeNet NY 7-5, a subsidiary of Air Methods Corporation, took off from Garnet Medical Center Catskills and landed outside the Rock Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps (RHVAC) building on Monday evening.

RHVAC Lt. Jessica Epifania said they’ve recruited fourteen new members in the past several months.  The visit was a training exercise of sorts so new recruits would know what to expect in a situation that might require a helicopter response.

“A lot of them [new recruits] have never been around a helicopter before,” said Thomas Bogursky of RHVAC. “So this gives them a sense of what they can do and what will happen when they get called in.”

EMS members set up a landing zone inside four traffic cones, and the helicopter touched down smoothly not long after.

Onboard were pilot Kenny Winn, flight nurse Colleen Ruddy and flight nurse Sean O’Connell. They were joined by Rich Will,  LifeNet’s Clinical Based Supervisor for the Southern Tier.

The crew talked about how, why and when to call for a helicopter, safety in operating around a helicopter and the types of weather conditions they take into consideration before they fly.