StatFlight is active today... thankfully for one man and his family

[JimmyPFD 11]

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009907240415

Somers bicyclist struck by car on Route 6 in Mahopac By Terence Corcoran and Frank Becerra Jr. • July 24, 2009

MAHOPAC - A Somers man was helicoptered to the Westchester Medical Center today after he was struck by a car while bicycling along Route 6, Carmel Police Chief Michael Johnson said

Edited July 24, 2009 by jack10562
edited to add quote by source site copyright

[JimmyPFD 11]

A STATFlight helicopter out of Harris, N.Y., in Sullivan County,

It was out of Harris, NY... so how much does that add to the response time?

[x129K 1,393]

"pain all over"...........................???

[50-65 205]

Mmm... If they were at Harris when called and not already in the air, that's gotta be, what, 25+ minutes? Carmel to Danbury 10 minutes, to WCMC, 20 minutes? I'd complain of pain all over too. But if you can drive faster than you can fly......

With in the last few weeks we have had 2 serious injury mva's here in Newburgh where EMS called off the bird because they were packaged and ready to go and it was still a 15 minute ETA for the helo.

[99subi 121]

sounds like he gets in the way when he rides , but ya what was the time it took for the helo from harris?

Edited July 24, 2009 by 99subi

[Goose 188]

I'm missing the point of this article. The choppers are not shutting down and he did not get the valhalla bird, he got a bird from harris. So...yeah...this makes no sense to me...

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Again..I'd be interested in knowing what his detailed physiological issues were. As a few have already said...Stat or LifeNet isn't going anywhere...they are just dropping the unit out of Valhalla, which this gentleman didn't get anyway. Its one thing to have pain all over...and I would have taken him the WMC as well...but again interested in the findings that warranted him being flown.

[JimmyPFD 11]

I'm missing the point of this article. The choppers are not shutting down and he did not get the valhalla bird, he got a bird from harris. So...yeah...this makes no sense to me...

The point of the article is simply that a man was hurt.

The point of the post was that it shows we need this service. We now have extended the response times which may realistically cost lives.

Additionally, (and I freely admit that I could be wrong on this assumption...) considering population density; this decision looks to benefit a lot fewer than it may harm. Regretfully, this 'harm' might be measured in morbidity and mortality

[TL2L31 8]

Can someone clarify for me the birds and where they are stationed? Is the one out of Valhalla now obsolete or is it in the process of being terminated?

[Goose 188]

The point of the article is simply that a man was hurt.

The point of the post was that it shows we need this service. We now have extended the response times which may realistically cost lives.

Additionally, (and I freely admit that I could be wrong on this assumption...) considering population density; this decision looks to benefit a lot fewer than it may harm. Regretfully, this 'harm' might be measured in morbidity and mortality

I wasn't referring to the post, just to the lohud article. I'm not sure if the removal of the bird from valhalla is going to cost lives.

A lot of what i hear on here and what ive read regarding the removal of the choppers seems to be a bit of fear mongering. I heard someone comment on CBS news radio 880 that the bird is used in cases where ambulances can't access a patient, hence why we need the bird in westchester. I've never, ever heard of it operated in said fashion. Any time i've dealt with the bird (once in an emergency situation and many times during the ferry to and from the LZ at local hospitals) - it is my opinion that they need an decent amount of room to land and are not equipped to fast rope paramedics into tight areas. I could be wrong, and if so i stand corrected.

Besides, if a patient is so unstable that they in danger of imminent death, they are not going to get the bird - you're going to the closest hospital.

And just as a side bar, this seems to all go back to the residents and politicians of westchester being infatuated with having an overabundance of "stuff." Reguardless of it's appropriateness or cost-effectiveness. It's a helicopter, not a freaking security blanket.

Edited July 25, 2009 by Goose

[helicopper 1,050]

The point of the article is simply that a man was hurt.

The point of the post was that it shows we need this service. We now have extended the response times which may realistically cost lives.

Additionally, (and I freely admit that I could be wrong on this assumption...) considering population density; this decision looks to benefit a lot fewer than it may harm. Regretfully, this 'harm' might be measured in morbidity and mortality

LifeNet didn't stop responding - they simply redeployed their resources. We're still going to have air resources, they're just coming from a different base of operations. Approximate flight time from Harris to Mahopac is 20 minutes; approximate flight time from Valhalla to Mahopac would be about 12 minutes. If Lifeguard was the first up in the rotation flight time would have been approximately 10 minutes from Newburgh to Mahopac so the relocation of the helicopter from Westchester elsewhere is not the only criterion that changes response times.

I respectfully disagree with your assertion that this is going to "cost lives". Good EMS is what saves lives, not the vehicle in which that EMS is carried. If the weather prevented a helicopter response we'd provide EMS the same way we always do and the outcome would be a result of the accident not the transport vehicle.

As for population density, in my opinion that is exactly why the unit based in Westchester proved to be NOT cost effective. The majority of patients are closer to a trauma center in densely populated areas and don't really benefit from air transport. Conversely, in western Orange County or Sullivan County, the distance to any hospital makes air transport a more desirable option to have available.

A lot of what i hear on here and what ive read regarding the removal of the choppers seems to be a bit of fear mongering. I heard someone comment on CBS news radio 880 that the bird is used in cases where ambulances can't access a patient, hence why we need the bird in westchester. I've never, ever heard of it operated in said fashion. Any time i've dealt with the bird (once in an emergency situation and many times during the ferry to and from the LZ at local hospitals) - it is my opinion that they need an decent amount of room to land and are not equipped to fast rope paramedics into tight areas. I could be wrong, and if so i stand corrected.

The LifeNet system does not do any rescue (they are not hoist equipped) or airborne deployment of medical teams (no rappeling or fast roping) so that is erroneous information. The notion that they land in remote areas where ground ambulances can not travel is actually kind of funny - we do live in Westchester County, right? Didn't move to the wilds of Colorado or Wyoming, did we? The NY State Police are hoist equipped and can do rappeling but only of tactical teams, not their flight medics.

I don't know if I'd call it fear mongering but it does show how poorly informed people are. Medevacs are truly a regional resource; there is no need to have one in every county or city.

[JimmyPFD 11]

Approximate flight time from Harris to Mahopac is 20 minutes; approximate flight time from Valhalla to Mahopac would be about 12 minutes.

Without letting it get clouded it, 'point-counter point' the above information is bottom line. Unless you feel we don't need the service at all

[Guest alsfirefighter]

The point of the article is simply that a man was hurt.

The point of the post was that it shows we need this service. We now have extended the response times which may realistically cost lives.

Additionally, (and I freely admit that I could be wrong on this assumption...) considering population density; this decision looks to benefit a lot fewer than it may harm. Regretfully, this 'harm' might be measured in morbidity and mortality

Being hurt and being injured can be two completely separate things. Also just being "hurt" isn't a criteria for use of a medevac. Who has extended response times? The majority of agencies in Westchester County can transport often a few to several minutes faster then a medevac to WMC. When was the last time you heard a conversation in your area "if only the patient had been flown.."? How often do you see the use of a medevac in the greater Peekskill area where you are from? Far and few between..why? Because of solid experienced providers who know that there is no time savings by doing so.

Population density also has nothing to do with it. The fact that they are in the outer lying area with Trauma 2 access and extended distance from Level I makes it all more sense that those units remain. To be honest the numbers for scene use may stay the same depending on how the numbers are now.

As far as not clouding point, counter point..and I'm not sure what you mean by bottom line, even with a flight time of 12 minutes..you still have to include start up time...time in the LZ return flight time etc. This patient was struck on a bike...identify immediate life threats..collar, board in the bus and start moving...perform the appropriate ALS interventions while enroute.

I again want to point out that I am saddened by the news and still think they had their place for inter facility transports. My point is most of the use of medevacs the way they still are now for short hops came from when Westchester (as usual) was way behind the 8 ball with ALS providers. Where I work didn't get them until 1997 for crying out loud. So often they were the way to get ALS treatment to you. Now if you know what your doing and do your job...flight crews live on the good graces and skills of the initial provider. I have good friends there and it sucks they are not being offered the ability to work in the other areas.