NORFOLK, Neb. — For the past 25 years, these tones on the radio have signaled go-time for Bill Jepsen.

Jepsen is the lead pilot for LifeNet in Norfolk. He flies a medical helicopter to transport patients from one hospital to another or from an emergency scene to a hospital.

“We basically have a flying ER," Jepsen said. "The nurses and the paramedics have all the drugs, they can intubate, they can put a breathing tube down somebody if they need it, they can shock them if they have a heart attack. They have all the medications and all the training to take care of that right there at the patient’s side.”

On Memorial Day, LifeNet marked a quarter-century of operating in northeast Nebraska. Jepsen has been there the whole time. Gary Murphy has flown for LifeNet for seven years. They both understand they’re responsible for the safety of everyone on the aircraft.

“We have to account for different risk scenarios: how long has the crew been on duty, how many missions have we taken, what time of day it is, what the weather is,” Murphy said.

The pilot generates a risk number for every flight and communicates with the Operational Control Center.

“And they’re going to look at it and say, ‘hey that’s a medium to a high risk.’ Then they may call and say, ‘hey what can we do to mitigate some of these things?’ Or they may turn me down,” Murphy said.

In 25 years, LifeNet Norfolk crews have flown four different types of aircraft for a total of more than 10,000 hours.

But it’s not just the pilot. LifeNet employs the paramedic and nurse on board as well.

“These people have to be able to operate independently of having a doctor right there to bounce something off of," Jepsen said. "That’s why they have all of this extra training and that’s why they talk to each other all the time.”

It’s all in done in close coordination with Faith Regional Health Services.

“The hospital has been phenomenal to work with," Jepsen said. "We couldn’t have asked for anybody better.”

It’s a team effort that’s resulted in countless lives saved.

“It’s what we do," Jepsen said. "We look at things and we’re just trying to get somebody there so hopefully they can have a better tomorrow.”

A goal the crew hopes to carry on for years to come.