Overview
The BMF medical team staffing model in all vehicles is one Critical Care Transport Nurse, one Critical Care Transport Specialist (Paramedic).
BMF nurses hold multiple other certifications such as Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) (within one year of hire if not already certified), Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) and/or Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN). They are also certified EMTs to comply with Massachusetts Department of Public Health ambulance staffing guidelines; both types of aircraft are considered ambulances by the Commonwealth.
BMF Transport Specialists (paramedics) similarly become Certified Flight Paramedics within one year of hire if they do not already hold FP-C certification.
BMF staffs and operates its own communications center at the Bedford headquarters. Communications Specialists are required to be Nationally Registered EMTs, or the Massachusetts equivalent; they are also expected to complete an International Association of Medical Transport Communications Specialists (IAMTCS, formerly National Association of Air-medical Communications Specialists or NAACS) Certified Flight Communicator course within their first year, course schedule permitting.
Their helicopter (rotary wing) and airplane (fixed wing) pilots are rated at the Airline Transport Pilot level, the highest level of pilot license; pilots have no medical duties during transport other than the safe delivery of the patient and medical team. The critical care ground ambulances are operated by Massachusetts-certified emergency medical technicians; in contrast to the pilots, they will assist their medical teammates during transfers.
BMF operates five twin-engine helicopters: four Airbus H145s, and one Eurocopter EC-145 (an earlier version of the H145). BMF also operates eight critical care ground ambulances, and a Beechcraft King Air 200 fixed-wing aircraft. [3]
BMF transports emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay and is financially supported in part by a seven hospital consortium (as of 2017) of the following:
BMF is a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) accredited critical care transport service in all three transport modes (Rotor wing, fixed wing and ground critical care). [6] BMF was a founding member of the New England Air Alliance, now known as the North East Air Alliance, along with UMass LifeFlight and Hartford LifeStar. [7] The goal of NEAA is to enhance the safety of air-medical operations in the region through information sharing.
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. They may also be known as a first aid squad, FAST squad, emergency squad, ambulance squad, ambulance corps, life squad or by other initialisms such as EMAS or EMARS.
ARCH Air Medical Service is an emergency medical service (EMS) that provides critical care air ambulance service in Missouri, Illinois, and the surrounding regions. Air ambulance programs offer transport by helicopter (rotor-wing) or fixed-wing aircraft. ARCH Air was the twelfth program in the U.S. to offer such services when it began operating in March 1979. Transporting approximately 4,200 patients per year by helicopter, ARCH aircraft are staffed by a pilot, nurse and paramedic. Flights are 80% inter-facility and 20% scene.
In the United States, the paramedic is a allied health professional whose primary focus is to provide advanced emergency medical care for patients who access Emergency Medical Services (EMS). This individual possesses the complex knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation. Paramedics function as part of a comprehensive EMS response under physician medical direction. Paramedics often serve in a prehospital role, responding to Public safety answering point (9-1-1) calls in an ambulance. The paramedic serves as the initial entry point into the health care system. A standard requirement for state licensure involves successful completion of a nationally accredited Paramedic program at the certificate or associate degree level.
The British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS) is an ambulance service that provides emergency medical response for the province of British Columbia, Canada. BCAS is one of the largest providers of emergency medical services in North America. The fleet consists of more than 500 ground ambulances operating from 183 stations across the province along with 80 support vehicles. Additionally, BCAS provides inter-facility patient transfer services in circumstances where a patient needs to be moved between health care facilities for treatment. BCAS also operates a medical evacuation program that utilizes both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
NSW Ambulance, previously the Ambulance Service of NSW, is an agency of NSW Health and the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is part of NHS Scotland, which serves all of Scotland's population. The Scottish Ambulance Service is governed by a special health board and is funded directly by the Health and Social Care Directorates of the Scottish Government.
Flight for Life is a prehospital care service with many bases of operation across the United States. Flight for Life is primarily known for its emergency medical helicopter transport, but also operates a fleet of land vehicles and fixed-wing aircraft for the transport of critically ill patients to specialized medical care. Helicopter transport is normally reserved for the most critically injured patients or patients who cannot be reached by traditional means of Emergency medical services. Helicopter transport is also especially useful for the transport of critically wounded patients to specialty medical facilities, such as burn, pediatric, or advanced trauma centers, that may be further away from the location of injury. Many rural communities rely on the speed of the helicopter to reach and evacuate their most serious patients to an available medical center. The helicopter may also be used for search and rescue operations in conjunction with ground units or alone.
Emergency Health Services (EHS) is a branch of the Nova Scotia Department of Health tasked with providing emergency medical services. It is also responsible for transportation of patients between hospitals and medical facilities. At present, all ground ambulance and air ambulance service in Nova Scotia is contracted by EHS to Emergency Medical Care (EMC), a subsidiary of Medavie Health Services.
A flight paramedic is a paramedic who provides care to sick and injured patients in an aeromedical environment. Typically a flight paramedic works with a registered nurse, physician, respiratory therapist, or another paramedic. Flight paramedics must have an advanced medical knowledge along with years of clinical experience. Flight paramedics in the United States usually hold certifications such as the FP-C or the CCP-C, while in countries like the United Kingdom, they are typically required to hold a postgraduate certificate in critical care as a minimum, with many holding a master's degree in advanced practice or aeromedical critical care.
Air ambulance services in the United Kingdom provide emergency medical functions, patient transport between specialist centres, or medical repatriation. Services are provided by a mixture of organisations, operating either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. All emergency air ambulance helicopters in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are operated by charities, while Scotland has one charity service in addition to its two NHS-funded helicopters. Fixed-wing air ambulances, used for patient transport, may be government or privately operated. Air ambulance helicopters are complemented by Coastguard SAR helicopters.
A flight nurse is a registered nurse specializing in the field of providing comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency critical care, and hospital care to a vast scope of patients. The care of these patients is generally provided during aeromedical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopters, propeller aircraft, or jet aircraft. On board a rescue aircraft, is a flight nurse, accompanied by flight medics and respiratory practitioners, as well as the option of a flight physician for comprehensive emergency and critical transport teams. The inclusion of a flight physician is more common in pediatric and neonatal transport teams. A critical care flight nurse must be able to deal with all age groups with broad critical emergencies. With no physicians on site, the nurses scope of practice is expanded. The critical care experience is transferred over to a flight nurse with impacting factors such as altitude and changes in pressure, gravitational forces, and weather. Some patients may experience exacerbations because of factors related to the cabin environment, including hypoxia, limited mobility, gas expansion, and the risk of injury related to turbulence. Resources for definitive care are limited. Aeromedical evacuation crews coordinate with other organizations to plan for the safe and timely care and evacuation of patients. Crews must be prepared for patients with trauma and mental health illnesses.
The Trauma Hawk Aero-Medical Program provides air ambulance services for Palm Beach County, Florida. On scene paramedics will decide whether or not a Traumahawk is necessary in a situation. On average, a Traumahawk is dispatched between 1 and 5 times a day for traumatic injuries, including those from vehicle accidents to sports injuries, as well as transport for stroke and cardiac patients. Operated by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, the service uses two identical 1999 Sikorsky S76-C+ helicopters as air ambulances.
Emergency medical services in the Netherlands is a system of pre hospital care provided by the government in partnership with private companies.
Air ambulances in the United States are operated by a variety of hospitals, local government agencies, and for-profit companies. Medical evacuations by air are also performed by the United States Armed Forces and United States National Guard.
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) is the state emergency ambulance and patient transport provider in Queensland, Australia. QAS is part of the Queensland Government under the Queensland Health portfolio and is one of the largest ambulance services in the world.
Ambulance Victoria (AV), a Victorian agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in Victoria. Ambulance Victoria was formed on 1 July 2008 with the merger of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS), Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV), and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service (ADAS). Ambulance Victoria has undergone significant reform since 2008.
Air Evac EMS, Inc., operating as Air Evac Lifeteam and sometimes called simply Air Evac, is an American helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) or air ambulance provider headquartered in O'Fallon, Missouri. It is the largest subsidiary of Global Medical Response, though still considered an independent provider. It is also the largest membership-supported air ambulance service in the US operating helicopters from 140 bases in 15 states, mostly in the central and southern regions of the country. While primarily a HEMS provider, it also operates 2 fixed-wing aircraft in Missouri and Kentucky.
CareFlight is an air medical service headquartered in Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
LifeFlight is an air ambulance critical care transport service that operates in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Air medical services are the use of aircraft, including both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to provide various kinds of medical care, especially prehospital, emergency and critical care to patients during aeromedical evacuation and rescue operations.
