I Can’t Imagine Getting Better Care
May 9, 2025
An Alaskan man praises a Guardian Flight crew for their exceptional care after suffering a serious injury.
Early April in Alaska is beautiful. It’s often viewed by many state residents as the beginning of the end of winter in “The Last Frontier.” The state’s famed northern lights, a spectacular display of glowing colors, can still be seen in the sky, and patches of snow still cover parts of the land in some sections of the state.
But for one Alaskan resident, the start of April took on a new significance in 2019, when an accident could have turned deadly, had it not been for the quick and skillful intervention of an EMS air team.
Ken Sims of Ketchikan remembers that “accident” as if it happened just yesterday.
“I was working for the U.S. Coast Guard, when I fell off a dry-docked boat 26 feet off the asphalt,” recalled Sims. “I landed head-first, with my whole weight piled on my head and shoulder area.”
Sims was quickly rushed to the local hospital, PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, where he underwent a series of X-rays, CT scans and MRIs, which revealed a number of fractures in his skull, scapula and sternum. He also had a hole in his head, causing his brain to bleed.
“In all, I had 27 broken or fractured bones,” said Sims. “I also had abrasions and a broken nose caused by my hard hat falling down with me, and, last but not least, my tongue. I had apparently bitten a part of it off.”
In addition to his pain and injuries, Sims also remembers the moment when more help arrived and the sense of assurance that he felt soon afterwards.
“Two flight nurses with Guardian Flight soon arrived at my ER room, getting me ready to board the aircraft,” said Sims. “Once I was in, they strapped me in and kept me medicated; they basically, cared for my every need. Then, they called for an ambulance while in flight. And to not lose any time between my landing and transfer to the Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, they also had the ground ambulance pick me up from the tarmac.”
Today, Sims, who made a full recovery from that near-death experience six years ago, says he still wishes he could personally thank the air crew who cared for him en route to hospital on that day. He says the experience also made him even more convinced of the value and importance of being a member of the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), which covered all the expenses and services associated with his EMS care with Guardian Flight.
“From the pilot to the nurses who traveled with me, I can’t imagine getting better care,” said Sims. “Guardian Flight checked on me a week after I was discharged for home, asking how I was doing, and when I told them that I was an AMCN member and gave my membership number, my bill for the care I received that day was zero. So, I’m not sure I can emphasize this enough, but if you live in a remote area where hospital services are limited not having AMCN coverage is leaving you extremely vulnerable. My membership costs $125 a year in Alaska and includes coverage for me and my family. For that amount, you can buy a steak dinner in Ketchikan. You choose what’s more important. From my experience, I still can’t imagine getting better care.”
*Guardian Flight is a provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), a Global Medical Response (GMR) alliance of affiliated helicopter and airplane air ambulances that provide medical treatment and transport to all patients, dramatically reducing travel time to an emergency facility. AMCN members enjoy the added value of never having to worry about out-of-pocket expenses only when transported by an AirMedCare provider. With over 320 locations in 38 states and over 3.4 million members, AMCN is the nation’s largest emergency air medical membership network.
But for one Alaskan resident, the start of April took on a new significance in 2019, when an accident could have turned deadly, had it not been for the quick and skillful intervention of an EMS air team.
Ken Sims of Ketchikan remembers that “accident” as if it happened just yesterday.
“I was working for the U.S. Coast Guard, when I fell off a dry-docked boat 26 feet off the asphalt,” recalled Sims. “I landed head-first, with my whole weight piled on my head and shoulder area.”
Sims was quickly rushed to the local hospital, PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, where he underwent a series of X-rays, CT scans and MRIs, which revealed a number of fractures in his skull, scapula and sternum. He also had a hole in his head, causing his brain to bleed.
“In all, I had 27 broken or fractured bones,” said Sims. “I also had abrasions and a broken nose caused by my hard hat falling down with me, and, last but not least, my tongue. I had apparently bitten a part of it off.”
In addition to his pain and injuries, Sims also remembers the moment when more help arrived and the sense of assurance that he felt soon afterwards.
“Two flight nurses with Guardian Flight soon arrived at my ER room, getting me ready to board the aircraft,” said Sims. “Once I was in, they strapped me in and kept me medicated; they basically, cared for my every need. Then, they called for an ambulance while in flight. And to not lose any time between my landing and transfer to the Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, they also had the ground ambulance pick me up from the tarmac.”
Today, Sims, who made a full recovery from that near-death experience six years ago, says he still wishes he could personally thank the air crew who cared for him en route to hospital on that day. He says the experience also made him even more convinced of the value and importance of being a member of the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), which covered all the expenses and services associated with his EMS care with Guardian Flight.
“From the pilot to the nurses who traveled with me, I can’t imagine getting better care,” said Sims. “Guardian Flight checked on me a week after I was discharged for home, asking how I was doing, and when I told them that I was an AMCN member and gave my membership number, my bill for the care I received that day was zero. So, I’m not sure I can emphasize this enough, but if you live in a remote area where hospital services are limited not having AMCN coverage is leaving you extremely vulnerable. My membership costs $125 a year in Alaska and includes coverage for me and my family. For that amount, you can buy a steak dinner in Ketchikan. You choose what’s more important. From my experience, I still can’t imagine getting better care.”
*Guardian Flight is a provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), a Global Medical Response (GMR) alliance of affiliated helicopter and airplane air ambulances that provide medical treatment and transport to all patients, dramatically reducing travel time to an emergency facility. AMCN members enjoy the added value of never having to worry about out-of-pocket expenses only when transported by an AirMedCare provider. With over 320 locations in 38 states and over 3.4 million members, AMCN is the nation’s largest emergency air medical membership network.
