Paramedic Fly Car Agencies

B

Brayden01

Forum Ride Along
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hello,

Is anyone aware of any agencies still utilizing the Paramedic Fly Car model. I dabbled in this program a little bit with another agency and enjoyed the challenge that came with it. Due to some other issues with managment I had to leave that agency and that is the only agency I know of in Utah. I am looking to do something similar to that and am willing to relocate to any state with that program and some decent protocols.

Thank you in advance!
 
I would hardly say this is an exhaustive list, but from thoughts on the topic as I would do a lot to work in such a model.
  • All of Delaware (each of the three counties)
  • Much (most?) of New Jersey
  • Many parts of Pennsylvania
  • A few in Massachusetts (Lowell and Lawerence hospitals as well as Emerson hospital which staffs it with medics from Pro EMS).
  • A few more in New Hampshire (Frisbie, Exeter, Littleton hospitals)
  • And then Connecticut (Windham, Middlesex, Charlotte Hungerford, and Bristol hospitals).
Some other agencies operate mixed ambulance/fly car systems in New England as well but I am not the most familiar with that area anymore.

It is very rare in Colorado, I can think of only one small fire department in the Southwest area that provides EMS in such a way.

Really a dream job for me but unlikely at my current FD. Our chief came from California with all ALS engines and all BLS ambulances and I think he favors that but calling an engine a fly car or paramedic intercept seems very--offputting.
 
Delaware. 100%. You can't go wrong. Low cost of living, good protocols and all Fly Car.
 
Curious on Fly Car agencies: if a Fire unit doesn't show up and patient is critical so the medic on the fly car goes in on the ambulance, with the driver of ambulance driving and medic or tech in the back with the medic on fly car in the back, what do you do with the fly car? just leave it and hope it is still there in good shape when you get back?
I know in many areas it would be fine but in a lot of places it would be stripped
 
johnrsemt said:
Curious on Fly Car agencies: if a Fire unit doesn't show up and patient is critical so the medic on the fly car goes in on the ambulance, with the driver of ambulance driving and medic or tech in the back with the medic on fly car in the back, what do you do with the fly car? just leave it and hope it is still there in good shape when you get back?
I know in many areas it would be fine but in a lot of places it would be stripped
Click to expand...
At least with my agency each ambulance has a the two people so one would drive the ambulance with the medic in it and the other takes the chase car (aka fly car) to the ED so the medic can get back to it after the call
 
If the flycar has two people, typically both people assess the patient, do initial interventions if needed, and once the patient is deemed stable, one provider hops out and drives the fly car behind the ambulance. if the patient is unstable, both provider will treat, and one of the ambulance crew will drive the flycar, turning over all patient care to the fly car crew.

I am aware of one ****ty city that doesn't allow the ambulance crew to drive flycar; in such cases where the patient requires both providers, the flycar crew grabs their bags and takes them in the ambulance, then locks and turns off the car, and a supervisor or another crew comes and picks up their car and takes it where it needs to go.
 
johnrsemt said:
Curious on Fly Car agencies: if a Fire unit doesn't show up and patient is critical so the medic on the fly car goes in on the ambulance, with the driver of ambulance driving and medic or tech in the back with the medic on fly car in the back, what do you do with the fly car? just leave it and hope it is still there in good shape when you get back?
I know in many areas it would be fine but in a lot of places it would be stripped
Click to expand...

In places with one medic, we lock the car on the scene and return to get it. In places with two medics, one medic may transport, and the other will go available as a single medic and meet up with their partner when the call is complete. If both medics are needed, the car is locked up and left on the scene. In any place I've worked with a flycar, nobody is allowed to drive it except the medic(s) assigned to it.
 
I worked at a place with two person engine staffing and we would occasionally have to leave the engine on scene when hands were needed. A bit conspicuous and no door locks but alas it was always there when another station came to get it.
 
Agency dependent, still the only job that would pull me off of a helicopter at this point in my career.
 
Is anybody aware of any non-observational research that speaks to pluses/minuses for fly-car response? I have my logistical & systems-based intuition on this one (strongly in favor from a budgetary standpoint), but curious on clinical outcomes. I found only one observational study on the subject matter, and it was only quantifying time to first EMS contact.
 
I think it would help in areas that don't have a lot of medics; since 90% of EMS transports don't need ALS, it makes sense to have medic on call and not on every ambulance.

My PT job has done similar, medic goes on run; and if the patient is transported and doesn't need ALS the medic gets a ride back to station for the next run.
Since we are paid on call, I have been paid for 7 transports in a 72 hour shift, and never left town; made for a nice check.
 
Nassau County, NY has a modified version through the Police Department. They are the countywide agency, although there is a glut of other ambulances via fire, hospital, etc...

Anyway, the PD runs a single-medic ambulance model. Medic responds to the scene, is met by the cops. Cop locks up the car, drives ambulance to the hospital, and another cop drives him back to the scene.

The county I live in now (Putnam) runs all ALS through the county via contractor (Ambulnz), which provides several fly cars and a few ambulances. All FD and ambulance corps are BLS ambulance.
 
Anyone have a fly car training course or presentation on-hand?
 
In my area right outside Philadelphia a few health systems use fly cars. Trinity health aka Mercy health and Crozer Keystone Health both use fly cars if the medic is needed and the ambulance has a third they would usually drive the fly car to the hospital. However at times they leave it parked locked up. The medic always takes his monitor and narcs and jump bag on the ambulance. Although in the more recent years a lot of ambulances are micu’s and the fly car is just an extra pair of hands on scene.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top