Lee County’s emergency medical helicopter program was abruptly suspended Tuesday morning.
The suspension was initiated to reconfigure the program to meet national accreditation standards, according to county officials.
A total of four MEDSTAR employees, including three pilots and the director of operations, were laid off when the service was suspended as of 7 a.m.
The former employees will be allowed to re-apply for their positions when the program resumes.
The helicopters, one that has only been in service since October 2011, are grounded. They will still be serviced and maintained at Page Field.
According to John Wilson, Lee County’s Public Safety Director, “Helicopter service will remain available to the residents and visitors of Lee County. We will rely on mutual aid support to assist us during this reconfiguration period. Safe operations are our number one priority.”