EMS pilots as emergency medical technicians?

OPINION

by Daniel

R. Reich

EMS Pilots As Emergency Medical Technicians? nowledge is a wonderful thing. None of us will ever have enough of it and should we ever stop learning, life would become dull and uninteresting. I was r e c e n t l y asked a g a i n how I felt a b o u t E M S pilots being t r a i n e d as e m e r g e n c y medical technicians (EMTs). The first t i m e I h e a r d t h a t question, n e a r l y 15 years ago, I was chief pilot for the helicopter comp a n y o p e r a t i n g F l i g h t for Life in Denver (Colo.). My response at t h a t t i m e h a s been reinforced d u r i n g the s u b s e q u e n t years. Actually, m y response was more of a question: Why do you want E M S pilots to be trained as EMTs? The a n s w e r to t h a t question is the basis for my opinion. Knowledge is a tremendous tool, a n d I a d m i r e those who continue to l e a r n -- to advance themselves, to strive to know more about themselves, our i n d u s t r y a n d our world. But w h a t we do w i t h t h a t knowledge is t h e t r u e m e a s u r e and value of learning. Over t h e years, I have h e a r d m a n y different answers to my question. Few responses, however, e a r n e d my e n d o r s e m e n t for t r a i n i n g pilots to be EMTs. It's a given t h a t we should all know first a i d for home accidents and t h e protection of our families. Even grade-school c h i l d r e n are being t a u g h t CPR. I also believe every EMS p r o g r a m should t r a i n for survival s i t u a t i o n s a n d t h a t pilots need to know how to provide for themselves a n d t h e i r p a s s e n g e r s in t h e event of a n aircraft accident injury. If the r a t i o n a l e for t r a i n i n g a n E M S pilot is similar, t h e n I support t h e

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Daniel Reich, past-president of AAMS, is one of the original helicopter pilots with the Flight for Life program in Denver, Colo. He has a master's of science in health administration. He is now director of flight operations, St. Anthony Hospital Systems, and director of the Emergency Medical Training Institute, both in Denver. hnlll

30 JANUARY/FEBRUARY1989 AM$

education of not only pilots, b u t also mechanics and anyone else w i t h t h e desire a n d dedication to help t h e m s e l v e s a n d others. Frequently, however, the answer to my question is t h a t pilots should be EMTs so they can assist t h e flight nurse, p a r a m e d i c or doctor w i t h the p a t i e n t in t h e field or so they can b e t t e r decide w h e t h e r or not to accept a mission b a s e d on the p a t i e n t ' s condition. But even t h e

e n v i r o n m e n t for obstacles and adequate clearance, executing postflight/pre-flight inspections, etc. As far as EMS pilots m a k i n g t h e decision to go or not go on a flight request, the more information t h e y have relative to t h e flight, t h e more likely the proper decision will be made. The operative words are " r e l a t i v e to t h e f l i g h t : ' The pat i e n t ' s medical condition is not relative to t h e pilot's decision-

a b i l i t y to b e t t e r c o m m u n i c a t e w i t h nurses, doctors a n d p a r a m e d i c s for public-relation purposes does not convince me t h a t pilots should be EMT-trained. The pilot's role in p a t i e n t care h a s always seemed fairly clear to me. Other t h a n supervising/assisting the l o a d i n g of the p a t i e n t a n d ensuring t h a t all i t e m s a n d the p a t i e n t are securely fastened, let t h e medical professionals perform p a t i e n t care~ The E M S pilot h a s a full-time responsibility, and I do not feel t h a t t h e pilots should be s p i k i n g IVs, w r a p p i n g wounds, s p l i n t i n g b r e a k s or doing any other aspect of p a t i e n t care w h e t h e r they are EMTs or not. The pilot's t i m e a n d a t t e n t i o n must be s p e n t m o n i t o r i n g t h e weather, securing t h e aircraft, assessing the

m a k i n g criteria. To utilize a i r medical t r a n s p o r t is a medical decision; to i n i t i a t e flight is an a v i a t i o n decision. Allowing the severity of criticalness of a p a t i e n t to influence the pilot's decision to i n i t i a t e flight is wrong. T r a i n i n g EMS pilots as EMTs in order to b e t t e r comprehend and u n d e r s t a n d the p a t i e n t ' s medical condition implies t h a t you have two standards: One t h a t ensures the safety of family, friends, VIPs, and others, and t h e other t h a t says t h e condition of t h e p a t i e n t w a r r a n t s t h e risk. We should l e a r n from t h e experience of others a n d never h e s i t a t e to grow a n d e x p a n d our knowledge, b u t it is w h a t we do w i t h t h a t knowledge t h a t shows how much we have r e a l l y learned! @