Air ambulance, and the bill afterwards

[deadstick]

Of course, there are exceptions. Magic operating room in the skies......right here in TUS.

I keep telling them we can get a CRJ-200 CHEAP, and we could carry a whole family, spares, and our own stock supplies. Another suggested a C130 so we'd just take our own ambo, too.

 

[MikeD]

With over 600# of gear in the back with a neo flight, I'd say our f/w is pretty close.

F/W has close ability yes. In talking scene 911, R/W vs ambo, pretty same.

 

[deadstick]

Interesting tid-bit: the AR EMS Board doesn't allow f/w scene flights. Problem is they didn't tell anybody. Not landing on the road, but he pt was brought by ground to the airport. I think they imagine the former scenario when they made that rule.

 

[MikeD]

Interesting tid-bit: the AR EMS Board doesn't allow f/w scene flights. Problem is they didn't tell anybody. Not landing on the road, but he pt was brought by ground to the airport. I think they imagine the former scenario when they made that rule.

But those are rare times too. Nice to have, but rare. Times when there's actually an airport nearby. And even more rare, times when a F/W can land off airport, on scene or even near scene.

But when you do have that ability, it definitely would help.

 

[Richman]

So if I eat dirt while mountainbiking the McDowells, a helo on a training sortie on the MTR picks up my location, my leg has exploded and you're fully capable, equipped and willing to do an extraction… Aye yi yi.

PJ ORourke once wrote that there are 4 kinds of ways to spend money:

1) You spend your money on yourself. In this case you seek the best quality you can at the best price.

2) You spend your money on someone else. In this case you're still concerned on price, but quality becomes less of a concern.

3) You spend other people's money on yourself, in which case you get the best quality you can regardless of price.

4) You spend other people's money on other people. In this case, who gives a f#%$?

Guess which category government spending falls into? Insurance spending is a close second.

Richman

 

[gotWXdagain]

But those are rare times too. Nice to have, but rare. Times when there's actually an airport nearby. And even more rare, times when a F/W can land off airport, on scene or even near scene.

But when you do have that ability, it definitely would help.

I keep suggesting we have that ability with a PC-12 in the upper midwest for six months out of the year but for some reason Dispatch keeps turning me down.

 

[gotWXdagain]

PJ ORourke once wrote that there are 4 kinds of ways to spend money:

1) You spend your money on yourself. In this case you seek the best quality you can at the best price.

2) You spend your money on someone else. In this case you're still concerned on price, but quality becomes less of a concern.

3) You spend other people's money on yourself, in which case you get the best quality you can regardless of price.

4) You spend other people's money on other people. In this case, who gives a f#%$?

Guess which category government spending falls into? Insurance spending is a close second.

Richman

Insurance falls squarely under category 2.

 

[MikeD]

I keep suggesting we have that ability with a PC-12 in the upper midwest for six months out of the year but for some reason Dispatch keeps turning me down.

There are indeed places that could be viable out there. I fully admit.

 

[z987k]

There are indeed places that could be viable out there. I fully admit.

I've landed the King air on plenty of frozen lakes to pick up a patient.

 

[MikeD]

I've landed the King air on plenty of frozen lakes to pick up a patient.

Agreed, there are a few places its viable, but mostly exception rather than norm. Is it something the company doesn't like, or the insurance doesn't like?

 

[deadstick]

I've landed the King air on plenty of frozen lakes to pick up a patient.

But did you have smudge pots?

Having the f/w available has helped with bad weather and when the lift was necessary. Had one where both the f/w and r/w launched on the same scene call. The closest level 1 was 200+nm away, so we took the worst one and the r/w took the other.

 

[deadstick]

Agreed, there are a few places its viable, but mostly exception rather than norm. Is it something the company doesn't like, or the insurance doesn't like?

The sw is the only place I've heard of a f/w landing on highways. Around here it's rolling terrian and thousands of wires crossing the roads. Can you imagine how the SMS risk assessment would go on that nowadays? We only go to red, but that would probably be black.

 

[z987k]

Agreed, there are a few places its viable, but mostly exception rather than norm. Is it something the company doesn't like, or the insurance doesn't like?

I don't think anyone had a problem with it. They have to be listed in the opspecs to go and iirc a call to whoever was in charge that night as it took the risk assessment off the charts, but there's nothing special about it except not having anything you can put in the GPS but a lat/long. These are lakes that are set up with a plow truck every year, so it's somewhat of a known quality. You'll see hurks, twin otters and casas into the same place. We were probably the least suitable aircraft with our low props.

But did you have smudge pots?

Yes, they line the "runway" with what we called flare pots.