Air Evac Lifeteam of O'Fallon, Mo., said it will open a base this spring on the campus of the Great River Medical Center in Blytheville.

Air Evac will hire between 12 and 15 people, including a registered nurse, paramedic and pilot, to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to an Air Evac news release.

The Air Evac crew will be able to provide medical care on the scene, quick medical transportation and transfers of patients between medical facilities. The helicopters will be equipped with night vision goggles, which will help pilots on nights with low lights "in identifying emergency scene landing zones in difficult terrain, such as mountains and hills, by raising nighttime vision to 20/20," the news release said.

"Having a helicopter located in Blytheville will increase our ability to get patients to the medical care they need quickly," said Air Evac President Seth Myers in the news release.  "The speed at which a patient can receive appropriate medical treatment can have a direct impact on the patient's chances of survival and degree of recovery."

A spokeswoman for Air Evac declined to say how much the startup costs were.

The Blytheville base will be Air Evac's 10th base in Arkansas and 112th base in 15 states.