Trenton receives helipad; residents receive Air Evac memberships for free

TRENTON, Tenn. — A surprising gift flew in for people living in Trenton, which could help save many lives.

Bob Wilson, President and CEO of AVC, Inc., has big plans for Trenton, starting with the Air Evac helipad, which was unveiled to a crowd of onlookers Thursday morning.

“We have the property zoned for not only a helipad, but a full heliport,” Wilson said. “Also there’s enough room on here for a freestanding emergency room.”

“Anything nowadays in the medical field that you can do to make it better for your citizens is great for this town,” said Trenton Mayor Ricky Jackson.

Wilson says these helipads are essential in rural communities without access to full hospitals.

But the ceremony unveiled one more gift: for the next year, all Trenton residents will have full access to the Air Evac Membership.

“They presented me a check, and I’m going to present it to Air Evac, and everybody from now until next year at this time, if they have to use the Air Evac team, it’s paid for by Mr. Wilson and his family,” Jackson said.

First responders at the ceremony were ecstatic about the news.

“This is not only a big plus for Trenton; it’s a big plus for the whole north end of Gibson County,” Gibson County Fire Chief Bryan Cathey said. “This will probably be used 40 to 50 times a year.”

“That’s a big impact on the citizens of Trenton, Tennessee. It’s wonderful. Words can not say thank you enough,” Jackson said.

The helipad is also built with an extra wide, paved road to help ambulance drivers maneuver when dropping off patients.