By Diana LaMattina, staff writer
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York)
Copyright 2006 Post-Standard
When the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office helicopter is called to an accident, minutes are a life-or-death matter.
A new partnership of local agencies reduces waiting time and tries to get treatment for the victim in a matter of minutes, said Al Kalfass, executive director of Western Area Volunteer Emergency Services.
A WAVES paramedic has accompanied Onondaga County sheriff’s deputies on daily helicopter patrols since April 1. The partnership turns the Bell 407 rescue helicopter into an ambulance in which the patient can be treated while being taken to University Hospital’s Trauma Center.
“If we get to an accident scene and don’t have a paramedic on board, we can’t render anything but first aid,” said Sheriff Kevin E. Walsh.
Before April 1, volunteer paramedics from University Hospital worked with the helicopter on an as-needed basis, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
Equipment on board allows the paramedic to stabilize, treat and monitor a patient as the helicopter flies at a ground speed of 135 to 245 mph.
So far, the partnership has proved successful, said Ed Binns, paramedic supervisor at WAVES. On Wednesday, Binns rode as Deputy Lenny Richer piloted. Deputy Paul Brennan acted as an observer to help locate accidents, listen to emergency radio calls and help with a patient if needed. Brennan and Richer, both trained pilots, alternate days of piloting.
Although there were no major emergencies requiring their attention that day, they were prepared to deal with one.
The daily patrols help monitor activity throughout the county and give responders a running start when called to emergencies.
“By being in the air, it cuts down on the response time by about five minutes,” Binns said.
“Any point in the county is only minutes away by flight to University Hospital,” Kalfass said. “And there are some pretty rural areas in the county.”
The partnership of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, University Hospital, the doctors and physicians from the emergency department and WAVES is convenient and efficient, Kalfass said. It makes use of joint resources: WAVES and University Hospital share an emergency medical director, Dr. Christopher J. Fullagar.
“The whole idea to have a coordinated effort eliminated additional stress put on too few volunteers trained for ambulance missions,” Walsh said.
Fullagar, who is also a WAVES paramedic, knows what the agencies need to care for “patients at their worst,” Binns said. The overlap in staffs also makes for easier communication when a paramedic calls University’s emergency department to describe the situation and tell what has been done and what might be needed.
“It’s a good feeling to give someone a second chance to get to surgery,” Binns said.
The helicopter’s other features can be used in a variety of other situations in which immediate response or help is necessary.
The height and speed of a helicopter can be advantageous in following high-speed vehicle pursuits and warning ground patrols of hazards. The Forward Looking Info-Red light, which is attached to the front of the helicopter, can be used in night searches to pick up heat signatures on the ground.
Another feature in the front of the helicopter, the Night Sun, is a spotlight that radiates the power of 300 million candles to light rescue scenes.
Attached to the underside of the helicopter is the Billy Pugh Net, which can be lowered into a remote area to pull a person to safety, move the person to a safer location for treatment or drop off a paramedic and equipment in remote areas. Also on the bottom of the helicopter are self-filling water buckets that can be used to put out remote fires and a video system that can record information on the ground.
For water rescues, the helicopter has floats on the skids that allow it to land on water, and collapsible boats that allow deputies to get closer to a victim.
“It’s a tremendous service very few communities have available to them,” Walsh said.