[Scan-DC] Arlington setting up landing zone

[Andrew Clegg]

I have to presume that the first responders on this list know better than I 
do, but my experiences in listening to helicopter transports on the scanner 
are more in line with what Travis says. By the time they've called for the 
medevac, the thing has gotten in the air, they've scoped out a landing zone, 
they've packaged the patient in an ambulance for transport to the landing 
zone, they've driven to the landing zone, unloaded the patient from the 
ambulance and put them in the helicopter, the helicopter takes off and flies 
to the hospital, the helicopter lands at the helipad, the patient is 
unloaded, and finally gotten inside... the patient could have been there a 
lot sooner by ground. Like Travis, I've heard incidents where it takes a 
long time for all of this to transpire -- 45 minutes or more. And when the 
incident is 10 miles or less by ground to the hospital, I could ride my bike 
to the hospital faster than the helo ultimately makes it there.

I don't like to be counter-culture, but I really am having a hard time 
buying the time-to-hospital arguments for helicopter transport here in the 
city. Out in the rural areas and some of the far suburbs, it absolutely 
makes sense. But in the middle of Arlington on a Sunday afternoon (for 
example), I just can't buy it.

Then you add all the safety problems these things have been having...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Travis" <freqhopping at earthlink.net>
To: <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 6:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Arlington setting up landing zone


>
> ----- 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.
>
> ___________________________________________
>
>
>
> 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
>
>
>
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