(AP) — A medical transportation company will be stationing a helicopter in Hastings to complement flights from its base at North Platte Regional Airport.

Midwest MedAir operations director Steve Gardiner says the Hastings aircraft will help the company lower its response time.

Gardiner says Midwest MedAir has based a helicopter in North Platte since 2010. It responds to upward of 400 emergency calls a year across the state.

The helicopters can carry two patients at a time. Gardiner says a crew typically consists of a pilot, a nurse and a paramedic.

The Hastings flights are expected to begin by the end of the month.