By Christine Dellert
Orlando Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Sentinel Communications Co.
ORLANDO, Fla. — When a tractor-trailer burst into flames Thursday after hitting two rock trucks, paramedics used a pair of emergency helicopters to airlift two drivers from Sumter County to Orlando’s trauma center.
About 11 miles north that same day, a medical helicopter flew to a lawn mower accident in The Villages. Meanwhile, the victim of another wreck on Interstate 75 was treated in the air.
Because emergencies can occur at any time and anywhere, Jim Judge, executive director of Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services said, “It’s fairly common for us to use multiple helicopters.”
Pacts with medical choppers in neighboring Central Florida counties mean that help for emergencies here in Lake and Sumter sometimes comes from as far away as Hernando. But starting next week, one air ambulance will be a bit closer.
LifeNet recently announced its relocation from Wildwood to Leesburg International Airport.
“It’s certainly one of those moves where everybody’s happy to see it,” said LifeNet’s lead helicopter pilot Jeff Smith. “We’ve had people asking us to be there for years.”
Officials expect the helicopter to relocate on Wednesday. During the short term, the aircraft will take up temporary space in one of the airport’s hangars before a permanent spot is built near the facility’s fire station.
“It’s an aviation operation, but more importantly it’s better for the city,” said airport manager Charlie Weller. “If you were seriously hurt, wouldn’t you like to have those people [closer]?”
Moving to the airport will mean quicker response times for trauma victims in and around Leesburg, police Lt. Rob Hicks said.
“The faster you get someone not only medical attention but to a trauma center, it will increase their likelihood of survival exponentially,” he said.
Smith said his company worked with Lake-Sumter EMS to find a centralized spot “where the bulk of our calls are.”
About 60 patients a month in Lake and Sumter counties are airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center -- the base for a larger helicopter that can transport two patients. Another medical helicopter takes off from South Lake Hospital in Clermont.
“A few years ago, it was 20 [people a month],” Judge said of the spike in fly-outs.
He added that more people moving to the area and more cars on the road translate into more traumatic accidents.
From Leesburg, a chopper ride to ORMC takes between 12 minutes and 15 minutes, Smith said.
The typical response time to an accident scene is about 10 minutes.
LifeNet’s chopper, a Eurocopter EC130, can hold one patient and is “one of the newest helicopters operating in Central Florida,” Smith said.