Imagine being a firefighter.

Saving lives, trusting gut instinct, making life-and-death decisions.

Now imagine that pressure with helicopter blades whirring overhead.

It could exacerbate things.

However, firefighters are required to recertify every two to three years, and when they do, they must also complete landing zone officer training. This training allows them to practice the real-life scenario of loading and unloading patients into a helicopter in urgent situations.

Firefighters of the Timberlake and Northern Lakes fire protection districts met with members of the Life Flight Network (LFN) for hands-on training Wednesday morning in a Coeur d'Alene Airport airfield. One thing they discussed and practiced was "hot loading," a technique of air medical transport where the rotors of the helicopter stay on while responders load patients into the aircraft. It is atypical and can be hazardous, but it shaves off some of the time it takes to get patients to a hospital, or from one hospital to another.

"Because of the training and because the guys are comfortable with it, they'll keep it running, we'll load the patient in it," said Brad Van Ert, division chief of emergency medical services for Northern Lakes. "It takes a lot less time from the time they set down to the time they can take off with the patient. It cuts a few minutes out of it."

The action occurred after some protocol discussion. Pilot Michael Sachsee, 39, of Sandpoint, fired up the rotors and the firefighters strapped Northern Lakes Capt. Marc Ghirarduzzi to an ambulance cot to practice hot loading him into the shiny blue Agusta 119 KX helicopter.

Van Ert, of Hayden, said an online course for the training is available, but "this is so much more valuable, where the guys actually get the hands-on."

Jim Leonard of Post Falls is the manager of Sandpoint's base (Life Flight 83). He has been a flight nurse for 18 months. He said his favorite part of the job is "taking care of one person at a time, being able to concentrate on those patients, who are the sickest of the sick, and provide them with the best care possible."

Leonard said that the new helicopter is the fastest in the region, reaching top speeds of 138 knots, or 159 miles per hour.

Timberlake firefighter Seth Michael, 29, of Hayden, attended the training. He has worked for Timberlake since he was 20, and said he enjoys helping people and working with other firefighters. Although he hasn't gone up in a helicopter as a fireman, he did get to fly a few times when he was fighting wild land fires in the Northwest.

"It was fun," he said. "It was a good experience."

Along with pilot Sachsee, flight nurse Eric Melone and flight paramedic Rick Ross answered questions and instructed the firefighters about the protocol of air medical transport, including keeping the head low and away from the rotors and watering down dusty areas if possible.

Sachsee, a pilot for 10 years, used to fly "fixed-wing" gliders in Germany, then discovered helicopters.

"One day I was sitting in the office and I saw the helicopter fly by and I was like, 'Hmm, that looks like fun.'" He attended Hillsboro Aviation in Oregon, and continued to move around where the jobs were, traveling north to Alaska and south to the Gulf of Mexico.

He said flying an EMS helicopter is about being useful, compared to a commercial job.

"I would rather burn the fuel you have to to save lives," he said.

Life Flight Network is a not-for-profit entity that has transported more than 75,000 patients during 34 years of operation. Info: www.lifeflight.org