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KCRA 3 Investigates: Air Ambulance Response Times
Emergency Dispatch Logs Raise Questions, Concerns
POSTED: 8:20 a.m. PDT May 3, 2005
UPDATED: 2:37 p.m. PDT May 3, 2005
Story by The KCRA Channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- KCRA 3 Investigates is raising questions about the reliability of some of the area's emergency medical airlift operations. At issue is the amount of time the area's largest air ambulance service -- REACH Air Medical Services -- says it can be on a critical scene versus the time it actually arrives.
There is no question that when emergency crews call for a helicopter transport, a victim's injuries are so severe that time is of the essence.
KCRA 3 Investigates obtained 16 months of Sacramento County emergency dispatch logs, which included hundreds of calls for helicopter transports. What was found in a review of those logs is leading to serious questions and concerns.
The logs show that since Jan. 1, 2004, REACH arrived at a trauma scene at least two minutes later than their initial estimated time of arrival 39 times. Nineteen of those times were 10 minutes after the ETA. Only seven times did REACH arrive on scene within two minutes of the time it said it would be there, according to the logs.
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Emergency Dispatch Logs Raise Questions, Concerns
POSTED: 8:20 a.m. PDT May 3, 2005
UPDATED: 2:37 p.m. PDT May 3, 2005
Story by The KCRA Channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- KCRA 3 Investigates is raising questions about the reliability of some of the area's emergency medical airlift operations. At issue is the amount of time the area's largest air ambulance service -- REACH Air Medical Services -- says it can be on a critical scene versus the time it actually arrives.
There is no question that when emergency crews call for a helicopter transport, a victim's injuries are so severe that time is of the essence.
KCRA 3 Investigates obtained 16 months of Sacramento County emergency dispatch logs, which included hundreds of calls for helicopter transports. What was found in a review of those logs is leading to serious questions and concerns.
The logs show that since Jan. 1, 2004, REACH arrived at a trauma scene at least two minutes later than their initial estimated time of arrival 39 times. Nineteen of those times were 10 minutes after the ETA. Only seven times did REACH arrive on scene within two minutes of the time it said it would be there, according to the logs.
Clicky
