[Scan-DC] UP Park Police incident

[Andrew Feinberg]

Correction -- GW is also level 1
On Dec 21, 2011 4:45 PM, "David Staples" <dstaples at gwmail.gwu.edu> wrote:

> Might have made some sense in this case (USPP officer).  The incident
> occurred at rush hour.  The US Park Police helicopters are based in
> Anacostia, a real quick flight from there to the Key Bridge, and those
> helos are frequently in the air anyway over DC.  I'd imagine an ambulance
> ride from the Key Bridge to GW or Georgetown hospitals at rush hour is no
> picnic traffic wise.
>
> On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 4:41 PM, Clegg, Andrew W. <aclegg at nsf.gov> wrote:
>
> > Yes, I believe you are referring to the one that started when I
> > questioned the wisdom of calling for a helicopter (on a Sunday morning)
> > for the injured person in Arlington. I recall that someone tried to
> > justify it by claiming that somehow the helicopters were equipped with
> > personnel who were so much more skilled than regular EMTs that it would
> > justify the additional 1/2 hour - 45 minute delay in getting the person
> > to the hospital. I don't buy that argument, but I really can't explain
> > the rationale for the helicopter myself, other than perhaps there's a
> > lot of political pressure to justify the existence of these hugely
> > expensive resources. I totally understand the rationale for using
> > helicopters for injured people in rural and some suburban areas, but not
> > here in the city, where you're a 5-15 minute ambulance ride from the
> > hospital (except perhaps during rush hour).
> >
> > By the way, apparently the accident rate associated with medical
> > helicopters is really high. A random Google search turned up this
> > passage from a Popular Mechanics article:
> >
> > "As a result of flying ill-equipped into risky conditions, medical
> > helicopters crash at twice the rate of other air taxis and are
> > exponentially more dangerous than commercial airliners, according to a
> > 2009 study by Ira Blumen, medical and program director of the University
> > of Chicago Aeromedical Network."
> > (http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/medical-heli
> > copter-safety-crashes).
> >
> > Between the time wasted in getting people to a hospital, and the very
> > high accident rate, I really don't see the wisdom of using medical
> > helicopters in a city.
> >
> > Andy
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> > [mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Blair Thompson
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 4:04 PM
> > To: Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
> > Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] UP Park Police incident
> >
> > There was a lengthy discussion about three or four years ago at Scan-DC
> > about the wisdom of waiting for a helicopter vs. just taking the patient
> > to a hospital in an ambulance. I can't find the thread right now.
> >
> > ---------- Original Message ----------
> > From: "Clegg, Andrew W." <aclegg at nsf.gov>
> > To: "Brooks, Kurt" <knbrooks at wusa9.com>, <jeff at krauss.ws>,
> > <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
> > Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] UP Park Police incident
> > Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:02:48 -0500
> >
> > They're transporting to Georgetown, by ground.
> >
> > Based on past incidents, I'm surprised they didn't call in a medical
> > helicopter, taking 45 minutes to fly in, locate a landing zone, land,
> > transport to helicopter, load, depart, and fly 1000 ft to Georgetown.
> > Makes about as much sense as when they took 45 minutes to pick up a
> > patient in Arlington to fly to Georgetown. Could have taken them there
> > on a bicycle in half that time.
> >
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