BY MIKE McEVOY
On October 17, 2006, at 1945 hours, the Libertyville (IL) Fire Department was dispatched to a rollover crash in the north suburbs on Interstate 94. Incident details below were provided by Libertyville Assistant Chief Ken Komers. Initial response included an advanced life support (ALS) ambulance staffed with three firefighter/paramedics and a pumper/squad staffed with an additional three firefighter/medics. Additional dispatch suggested the victim had been ejected onto the roadway, which initiated a shift commander response. Neighboring Knollwood Fire Department was also dispatched to set up a landing zone (LZ), if needed, for air medical transport.
On arrival at the single vehicle crash, firefighter/medics found the sole occupant of an SUV, an unbelted 43-year-old female driver, lying in the roadway with critical injuries (photo 1). The shift commander requested Illinois Flight for Life response on recommendation of the ambulance crew on-scene. The roadway was shut down, and the Knollwood Fire Department arrived to establish an LZ while Libertyville attended to the victim and ensured scene safety (photo 2).
 1. Photos by Tim Olk. |
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The Flight For Life helicopter landed within 10 minutes and assisted with transfer of the victim to the aircraft (photos 3, 4, and 5). Preplanning and a strong working relationship with Illinois State Police enabled immediate shutdown of traffic on the roadway, expediting air medical arrival.
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Preplanning to use a neighboring department to establish an LZ as well as frequent communication and drills with Illinois Flight for Life enabled rapid transfer of care and loading of the critically injured victim into the helicopter without delay.
The victim was flown to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, for definitive care.
Rapid transport and the need for a trauma center level of care at a scene often necessitate air medical response. Incidents like this pose even greater safety hazards owing to the air medical response and distractions created by arrival of a helicopter. Preplanning to ensure air medical support is called early, additional personnel are summoned to establish a safe LZ, there is cooperation from law enforcement, fire suppression and traffic control crews are available, and transfer of care between ground and air medical providers is rehearsed is essential to ensure safety as well as optimal benefit to the victim.
MIKE McEVOY, Ph.D., REMT-P, RN, CCRN, is the fire EMS technical editor for Fire Engineering, a critical care nurse, an instructor in critical care medicine, and a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee at Albany (NY) Medical Center. McEvoy is also the EMS coordinator for Saratoga County, New York, and chief medical officer for the West Crescent Fire Department.
