# Ambulance Service in TN Criticized For Canceling Air Medical



## usalsfyre (Feb 12, 2011)

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/ambulance-998082-service-patients.html

I'm not even sure what to say other than "wow the HEMS companies have gotten good at PR".


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## Aidey (Feb 12, 2011)

No kidding. It is also stupid to accuse the amb company of canceling HEMS so they get the money. They could say the exact same thing about HEMS, since they are 10 times as expensive and have a history of transporting non-critical pts.


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## ffemt8978 (Feb 12, 2011)

> In an anonymous e-mail sent to NewsChannel 9 a first responder wrote Angel EMS "... has canceled Life Force medevac flights for patients involved in accidents so that the ambulance can transport the victims."



It seems like it is the first response agency making an issue out of it, but the article doesn't provide near enough information to determine if cancelling HEMS was appropriate.


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## Aidey (Feb 12, 2011)

I know most of times when there have been complaints against us for canceling HEMS it has been by the BLS first responders. There was one by the family, but the FD was the one who told them they thought we were in the wrong.


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## EMS49393 (Feb 12, 2011)

I used to work as a paramedic where I ran calls that were generally, at the most 20 miles from a level one trauma center, and that was if we were third or fourth due on the call.  My primary call area was less then five miles in any direction to said trauma center.

I ran a nasty motorcycle v. car accident several months ago where the motorcycle guy was unconscious with multiple upper extremity fractures, a head injury, agonal respirations, I'm saying, really headed for the light.  I was, no s**t, less then four miles from the trauma center, about a 7 minute drive in the middle of the night, so barely any traffic.  The fire department attempted to chew my butt on scene about canceling HEMS while I'm working this guy.  "It's county protocol," "we're going to report you," "you paramedics think you're God."  You name it, they threw it at me.  Seriously, I'm going to launch a helicopter that would be coming from a base some 20 miles away, that has at least a 12 minute ETA to my scene, set up a landing zone, pass off patient care, and let them fly him the 2 minute trip to the hospital?  Hell, no.  

So I come to find out after this call that the county does automatically launch HEMS if the MVC has an unconscious person and it is outside the York City Limits.  Automatically.  Seriously, these people that live or die off of their ability to use HEMS need to purchase a clue.

I don't know the whole story with that call in TN, but I bet the fire fighter *first responder* was freaking out, and the *paramedic *did an assessment and declined the need for HEMS based on that assessment.  I could be wrong, but I've seen that more times then I care to remember in my neck of the woods, and it's about as backwards as you can get in this area.

Or the fire department has an axe to grind with the ambulance service.


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## usafmedic45 (Feb 12, 2011)

The only thing they denied the patient was a several thousand bill and a delay in getting to the hospital.  I don't see the problem beyond the stupidity of the reporters, the public and the effectiveness of the PR machine of the HEMS industry that has brainwashed so many people into thinking that they save a lot of lives annually.


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## jjesusfreak01 (Feb 14, 2011)

> Wake County Policy 1: Air Transport
> 
> Procedure 5:
> 
> "Under NO circumstances will transport of a patient be delayed to use a helicopter"



If it won't get them to the hospital more quickly or give them higher level care, then why are you considering it? A ground ambulance can have 3+ technicians onboard for a serious case, and though I won't deny that HEMS providers usually have higher training and scopes of practice, these are relatively useless if what is needed are more hands. Helicopters should be used only for extremely critical medical patients and trauma patients, where the focus is getting the patient to the highest level of care as quickly as possible.


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## Jon (Feb 16, 2011)

Look at the last line... It's almost like the FD is trying to trash EMS so they can take it over.


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## FrostbiteMedic (Feb 21, 2011)

Living very close to this area, and having many friends who work for Angel, I can say one thing for sure: if the Paramedic on the truck canceled HEMS, there was no need for HEMS. Also, to give ya'll some idea of where Catoosa County is in retrospect to Chattanooga (where Erlanger, our regional Level 1 Trauma Center is) I have included a link.
Google Map Of Catoosa County

AS you can see, it is the neighboring county....I can't imagine transport by ground taking more than 20 minutes at the far reaches of Catoosa......


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## reaper (Feb 21, 2011)

Biggest thing here is this is not even a TN service. This is a N. GA service and it is 15 minutes to Erlanger by ground.


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