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