199 lines
8.6 KiB
Plaintext
199 lines
8.6 KiB
Plaintext
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LIFE FLIGHT
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MONITORING THE EMERGENCY AEROMEDICAL SERVICE
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By: Laura Quarantiello
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Source: Monitoring Times
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Reprinted by: John Johnson, KWV8BP
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The future of on-the-scene emergency trauma care has arrived, in the form of
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an eagle from the sky -- the Life Flight helicopter.
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Physicians often talk of the "golden hour" the first sixty minutes immediat
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ely following a serious accident when the victim's life is quiet literally
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in the hands of paramedics who are usually the first to the scene. It is
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here that decisions must be made quickly: questions of transport and how to
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best move the patient to the nearest hospital. The best means is not always
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by ambulance, due to traffic and the inevitability of rough ride over city
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streets and highways. It is this moment when seconds count that Life Flight
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shines.
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PROGRAM BACKGROUND
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Established on March 17, 1980, by the University of California (UCSD) Medi-
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cal Center at San Diego, Life Flight was one of the first hospital-based
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programs to begin a "Shared Helicopter Service" system. Developed as an
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auxiliary program to complement and assist emergency medical services in San
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Diego and nearby Imperial County, Life Flight delivers advanced prehospital
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medical care to critically injured or ill patients.
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It was considered a new and innovative concept, but with time it has proven
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to be a lifesaver. Life Flight is recognized internationally as a leader in
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the field of aeromedical transport, with a high percentage of flights direct
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ly to the site of accidents, more than any other hospital based program in
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our nation.
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THE HELICOPTER
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Life Flight operates three helicopters to serve San Diego County. These
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craft are medically configured Bolkow B.105LSs with a top speed of 150 miles
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per hour, optimum range of 250 miles and a service ceiling of 10,000 feet.
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They are capable of landing in a 60 foot by 60 foot landing zone 00 a LZ --
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with all the attendant risks.
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It can be dangerous flying, for there are sometimes hidden risks such as
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power lines, tree stumps, fences and numerous other objects that can ruin
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any pilot's day. However, ten years have proven Life Flight a dependable
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service.
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Two helicopters are available 24 hours a day to respond. Life Flight One is
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based at UCSD Medical Center, Life Flight Two serves the North County from
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Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. The rotorcraft can transport two patients at a
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time and can be reconfigured to act as a neonatal intensive care unit..
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Hospital-to-hospital transport is another common job, transferring critic
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ally ill patients to other facilities. Each helicopter carries a Registered
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Nurse versed in advanced emergency procedures, a county certified paramedic
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and a pilot experienced in emergency medical flying.
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THE MISSION
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Life Flight can be requested by any medical authority or public safety
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agency such as police and fire departments, lifequards, hopitals, etc. The
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service is utilized for serious medical emergencies where routine ambulance
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transport would take too long, or where the victims are located at inaccess
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ible sites.
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In less than five minutes following an activation call, Life Flight can have
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a helicopter in the air and on its way. Flight time to the scene is often
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only minutes, far and away faster than a ground ambulance. Dispatching is
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done from the Emergency Transport Services Communications Center at UCSD
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Hospital in San Diego. Commonly, the helicopter nearest the incident is the
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one that takes the call.
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After liftoff, more detailed map coordinates are given to the crew if
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necessary, along with a ground contact frequency. The rotorcraft are equip
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ped with Wulfsberg radios operating on VHF and UHF frequencies, while the
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dispatch cernter uses a Motorola Centracom I console.
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When the craft nears the scene, radio contact is established with one of the
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police or fire units present on the ground, who will direct Life Flight to
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their landing zone. The dispatch center is advised of the touchdown.
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After the patient has been stabilized and loaded, and the helicopter lifts
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off, the trauma center selected as the best choice is put in touch with the
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medical teams aboard Life Flight via the Communications Center.
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The common critical care facilities used are Palomar Hospital in Escondido,
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Scripps Memorial in La Jolla, Sharp Memorial in San Diego, and UCSD Hospital
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in San Diego. A detailed medical report is passed to the ermergency room
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team at the selected hospital, with further updates enroute if the patients
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condition changes during the course of the flight.
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Life Flight's job ends at touchdown on the hospital helipad as the ER team
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takes over, but the seconds still count. It is the times saved enroute which
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gives the physician in the emergency room a precious chance to save a life.
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Life Flight service is not cheap, with prices depending on air miles flown,
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but a price cannot be placed on a human life. Seven days a week, 24 hours
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a day, these aeromedical helicopters stand ready to fly. To date, the
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service has transported more than 16,000 patients and is one of the busiest
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programs in the country with an average of two hundred flights undertaken
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each month.
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Monitoring the emergency aeromedical service is about as good as it gets for
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fast exciting action. In concert with police and fire frequencies, listening
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to Life Flight will provide you with all the information on an incident
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before the TV news even airs the story. There is nothing like being "on-the-
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scene."
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The author would like to thank Betsi Howard of Life Flight for information
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used in the preparation of this article..
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LIFE FLIGHT HELICOPTER PRESETS
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F-1 EMS-1 155.205
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F-2 EMS-2 155.325
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F-3 EMS-3 155.175
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F-4 SDFD CH.3 153.785
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F-5 FIRE "RED" 155.085
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F-6 CLEMARS 154.920
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F-7 HEARTLAND TAC 154.250
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F-8 INLAND FIRE 154.175
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F-9 SOUTHBAY FIRE 154.415
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F-10 SDPD TAC 1 155.685
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F-11 UCSD SECURITY 154.515
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F-12 NORTH "GRAY" 154.355
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F-13 CDF LOCAL 151.190
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F-14 COASTAL "GREEN" 154.385
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F-15 UCSD DISPATCH 462.975
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Primary Dispaching is done on 462.975 MHz from repeater locations on Mt.
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Laguna (KNCG 463), Mt. Palomar (KNCG 495), Pine Valley (KNCG 494), and
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San Diego (KNCG 492).
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LIFE FLIGHT ENROUTE FREQUENCIES
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118.3 LINDBERGH TOWER
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119.6 LINDBERGH APPROACH
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119.2 MONTGOMERY TOWER
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120.7 GILLESPIE TOWER
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118.6 PALOMAR TOWER
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126.2 NAS MIRAMAR TOWER
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135.1 NAS NORTH ISLAND TOWER
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127.3 SAN DIEGO APPROACH
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121.5 AIR EMERGENCY
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123.05 HELIPAD
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123.02 CRITICAL AIR
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122.85 ASTREA (SHERIFF'S HELO)
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155.205 HARTSON AMBULANCE
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155.280 HARTSON F-2
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47.580 SHAEFFER AMBULANCE
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453.725 SD SHERIFF'S F-1
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453.425 SD SHERIFF'S F-9
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151.190 CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FORESTRY
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168.750 US FOREST SERVICE
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155.685 SD POLICE F-8
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453.650 SD CITY LIFEGUARDS
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154.115 CORONADO LIFEGUARDS
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THE WULFSBERG GOES AMATEUR AIR MOBILE
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Tom Marcotte, engineer an MT reader, routinely leases helicopters to fly
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over the Gulf of Mexico. On one trip he was delighted to discover the heli
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copter was equipped with a Wulfsberg Flexcomm radio. He was familiar with
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their use by EMS units, as well as the Coast Guard and other agencies.
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Describing the radio, he says, "This particular setup was capable of operat
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ion in the 138-174 MHz FM range, fully programmable, with 10 presets. This
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same system, with the proper presets, is capable of programmable operation
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in the following bands from one controller: 30-50 MHz FM, 138-174 MHz FM,
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450-470 MHz FM, and 118-138 MHz AM...
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"The Wulfsberg was programmed with our company frequency in the VFO slot,
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with nothing in the presets. I quickly taught myself how to program the
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unit and plugged in a few of the Corpus Christi 2 meter repeater frequencies
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. It didn't take long to get some replies and solid signal reports on the
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146.88 machine about 30 miles away. It was a pleasure to use a high quality
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air mobile rig"
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Ever consider a jov with the San Diego Life Flight team, Tom?!
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The following article is a reprint from the July 1990 issue of Monitoring
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Times.
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Reprinted by: John Johnson, KWV8BP (Topol) of The Hotline MBBS, we have
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an entire section dedicated to Scanner & Radio related topics, give us a
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shout....
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THE HOTLINE MBBS 304-736-9169
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END |