[Scan-DC] Arlington setting up landing zone

[Travis]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "michael rumberg" <m_c_rumberg at hotmail.com>

   2.  the helo is ridiculously faster transport - the helo can get to the 
hospital way before a ground unit.  The FCPD helo can go from Reston to 
Mount Vernon in less than 5 minutes.  As the crow flies 30 mph is WAY faster 
than an average speed of 60 mph on the ground.  And quite frankly, an 
ambulance even after going on the beltway, will never actually get anywhere 
near a true average speed for the entire trip at 60mph - even if there 
really is "no traffic" on sunday afternoon.

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This is not always the case.  In many incidents I've listened to, a ground 
transport to Fairfax Hosp from Loudoun would've been faster.  The most 
recent being the murder-suicide in Leesburg a few weeks ago.  It was over an 
hour from the time units arrived on scene to the time the bird arrived at 
the hospital.  The incident began before 5am.  Aircare-3 was finally 
airborne from Leesburg airport at 5:30 as I left my driveway for work.  I 
was in Tysons Corner 20 minutes later, another 5 and I could be at the 
hospital.  I don't even have lights or sirens.  I was sitting in my office 
for a while before Aircare flew by around 6:10 am.

There's much more to it than point-to-point time.  The bird has to get off 
the ground most of the time.  That there can take 10-15 minutes.  I can see 
Aircare-3 when it finally leaves Leesburg.  Very rarely is it quickly after 
the request has been made.  Then once they're on the ground there is a whole 
lot of packaging going on.

The one reason why Fairfax-1 can respond so quick is because they are 
airborne much of the time without an EMS mission.


Travis