LIFE FLIGHT ============ 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 END