Posted to Chatterbox THIS IS JUST MY OPINION

THIS IS JUST MY OPINION
Having worked as a Law Enforcement First Responder in Montana. As a Law Enforcement EMT and on an Advanced Life Support Ambulance in Washington State, and training as a Mobile Intensive Care Unit Paramedic in Los Angeles......

The ambulance personal in the LMRFD should NOT call for a $25,000 medical helicopter for cardiac arrest, stroke, heat stroke, and other non-trauma patients any well trained EMT and Paramedic should be able to care for in route to KRMC Medical Center in Kingman. THIS IS WHAT THEY WERE TRAINED TO DO..

KRMC can handle these calls where a trauma surgeon is not needed ASAP to save the patients life. If you don't love emergency medicine or simply want to get out of driving to KRMC 37 miles from my home on 9th in Dolan Springs, there should be a problem.

LMRFD wants more money. Well transport patients to KRMC rather than call a medical helicopter. Every transport given to a medical helicopter costs the LMRFD $540 in millage and KRMC Medical Center thousands of dollars that could stay in the local area rather than Las Vegas.

If a patient needs the definitive care of a Level I Trauma Center by all means call a medical helicopter. But we need medical helicopter protocols that say when to call for this advanced care. Currently we have a You Call We Haul for profit medical helicopter service in this area. If you cut your arm and need stitches or have a stroke, it should be 35 minutes or less from my home to KRMC. Not waiting 30 minutes for a medical helicopter, then landing and loading time, and 30 minutes back to Vegas making total transport time well over one hour.

Not using volunteer resources from ANYONE who wants to volunteer for the LMRFD especially those with EMS experience, lessens or ability to respond daily EMS calls as well as in case of a natural or man made disaster in our area... From Hoover Dam to mile post 50 on US-93 and from the river to Peach Springs. (Check the ambulance CON)

On one call the ambulance crew chose to call a medical helicopter rather than transport the patient to KRMC 30 minutes away. It took the medical helicopter a 30-minute flight time to respond, 15-20 minutes to shut down and load the patient, then a 30-minute flight time back to Las Vegas. So rather than arriving at definitive care at KRMC, it took an hour and a half to get the patient to definitive care. The patient was released within an hour of arriving at the hospital in Las Vegas ... That's NOT good patient care....

I DON'T WANT A BUNCH OF NEGATIVE BS FROM PEOPLE
THIS IS JUST MY OPINION ON THE STATE OF EMS IN THE LMRFD.