Calling for HEMS?

CALEMT said:
This. Why doesn't the medic on the ambulance just cancel the helicopter?
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Because a lot of the time the helicopter is just landing, or they are on scene already
 
Cancel the helicopter a few times when it's already on the ground and your problem should stop fairly quick. The HEMS program will likely be displeased and the ground provider (hopefully) learns what is and is not appropriate. Also, maybe it can be arranged for them to stay in the air until ALS arrives and figures out what is going on?
 
DEmedic said:
So? Send 'em packing. "Thanks guys. We've got it."
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This. While my service doesn't promote dry runs by any means. The ground paramedics true instincts, and solid assessment skills are valued and taken into account.

We do, and have been canceled, even arrived and had patients AMA. We are ALL one team.

My personal opinion is to take into account the ground paramedics decision to utilize us seriously. The rest will be hashed out later.
 
I've never heard of a system where the ground medic wasn't able to cancel HEMS at any point up until the flight crew had gotten report from the ground crew. Of course, you can't abuse that for obvious reasons, but once in a while is completely understandable.

One of the HEMS programs that I worked for strongly encouraged the EMS agencies further away to request us as soon as they thought they might need us, and then simply cancel us if it turned out that they didn't (actually all three of the programs that I worked for did this, but this one in particular was really big on the more remote agencies calling us as soon as they were dispatched). That way we would essentially be dispatched at the same time as them, and were often in the air heading their way before they got on scene and made a decision whether or not they needed us.
 
Remi said:
I've never heard of a system where the ground medic wasn't able to cancel HEMS at any point up until the flight crew had gotten report from the ground crew. Of course, you can't abuse that for obvious reasons, but once in a while is completely understandable.

One of the HEMS programs that I worked for strongly encouraged the EMS agencies further away to request us as soon as they thought they might need us, and then simply cancel us if it turned out that they didn't (actually all three of the programs that I worked for did this, but this one in particular was really big on the more remote agencies calling us as soon as they were dispatched). That way we would essentially be dispatched at the same time as them, and were often in the air heading their way before they got on scene and made a decision whether or not they needed us.[/
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I agree with this as well. It seems prudent that the local HEMS agencies stay proactive in providing the proper in-services so that all crews on the ground, be it EMS, fire, or law remain up to date on said agency's current policies and practices.
 
VentMonkey said:
This. While my service doesn't promote dry runs by any means. The ground paramedics true instincts, and solid assessment skills are valued and taken into account.

We do, and have been canceled, even arrived and had patients AMA. We are ALL one team.

My personal opinion is to take into account the ground paramedics decision to utilize us seriously. The rest will be hashed out later.
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What does your management think about the cancellations by ground personnel?
 
As long as it isn't a habitual pattern, and happens for good reason then there's no issues.

Great example: if we land and the patient is in arrest, we are to help our ground units work them up. The ground paramedic will lead us, and should the patient regain pulses, we transport, if not chances are the patient will be left. If we arrive and the patient has a ROSC, then they transfer care to us.
 
Remi said:
I've never heard of a system where the ground medic wasn't able to cancel HEMS at any point up until the flight crew had gotten report from the ground crew. Of course, you can't abuse that for obvious reasons, but once in a while is completely understandable.

One of the HEMS programs that I worked for strongly encouraged the EMS agencies further away to request us as soon as they thought they might need us, and then simply cancel us if it turned out that they didn't (actually all three of the programs that I worked for did this, but this one in particular was really big on the more remote agencies calling us as soon as they were dispatched). That way we would essentially be dispatched at the same time as them, and were often in the air heading their way before they got on scene and made a decision whether or not they needed us.
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Our local services are similar. We have a line in our district where we know that if place a helicopter on air standby on initial dispatch that it will result in faster transport times. We also know where we can request them once on scene and have it still be faster by air. Our two services can also opt to land at designated LZs with GPS approaches that don't need ground contacts and wait for us there, and if they aren't needed they'll leave.

We have made a point to include the air medical folks in our EMS region and its planning, and it shows.
 
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