FLIGHT COMMUNICATIONS

San Antonio AirLIFE is somewhat unique in its mission of providing Airmedical transport to South Texas in that AirLIFE promotes a lift off time of five minutes from the time the initial request is received. The single reason allowing such a rapid response is a dedicated Flight Communications Center, also known as FLTCOMM. Two personnel staff FLTCOMM, 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Flight Coordinators provide medical communications support to the AirLIFE Flight Crew. It is the goal of each Coordinator to remain "one step ahead" of the Flight Crew in handling the needs of each AirLIFE mission. If you have read the qualifications for the Flight Crew, you will agree that remaining a step ahead is no easy task. In addition, the Coordinators monitor weather conditions for all counties included in the 150 mile radius service area through color radar provided by Data Transmission Network Corporation (DTN), and obtain Current Weather Observations and Forecasts from the Direct User Access Terminal (DUAT). When processing a request for a Scene Response, the Flight Coordinator must obtain the following information: the requesting agency and call back phone number, the EMS agency on scene, the type of call, number of patients, and who is the point of contact for the landing zone. Since finding a county road intersection can be tricky at best, the FlightComm staff utilizes County Sectional Maps, Ferguson Map grids (or any grid system), landmarks from the computer data base and translates the information to Latitude – Longitude Coordinates for the helicopter GPS and Loran computers. Coordinators are directly responsible for tracking all flights and must obtain position reports for each aircraft at 10-minute intervals during the course of the mission. Through information provided by Medcom, Coordinators know the status of all three San Antonio Trauma Centers, and have direct contact with physicians at each Trauma Center by radio or alpha-numeric pager.

While one Coordinator handles the duties of FLTCOMM, the second Coordinator is contracted by MEDCOM and PEDICOM services, and when available, provides support to the Flight Coordinator. MEDCOM is a contracted service and falls under the guidelines provided by the South Texas Regional Advisory Committee. MEDCOM facilitates the transfer of Code 3 Trauma patients to San Antonio area Trauma Facilities. Physicians from outer-lying facilities are able to call the 800-AIR-MICU number and request the MEDCOM service, allowing for rapid acceptance and transfer of their trauma patients. What used to take upwards of 1-2 hours can now be accomplished in an average of 10 minutes through direct contact with Trauma Surgeons at one of three San Antonio Trauma Centers.

PEDICOM is a private service contracted by Dr. Hugo Carvajal of Baptist Regional Children’s Center (BRCC). Its basis is similar to MEDCOM, however it is strictly for consultation service and/or the transfer of Pediatric Medical patients to BRCC. By calling 888-PEDI-911, Physicians are able to speak with an Intensivist or Subspecialist at BRCC regarding pediatric medical cases.
No matter what task a Coordinator handles, we strive to provide the highest level of customer service. When we look at candidates for a position in Flight Communications, we look for multi-task individuals with high attention for detail. The Communications Staff deal with a wide variety of people including civilians, local media, Sheriff’s Offices, Physicians, and Hospital Administrators, therefore must be able to converse with each of these individuals in an educated and conscientious manner. To qualify for a position in FLTCOMM, candidates must have current EMT-Basic certification at a minimum, Paramedic or the equivalent preferred, and two years medical dispatch experience. Once selected, each Candidate goes through a rigorous training program, lasting 90 days. The training program includes simulated Training Flights in which the Candidate performs all the tasks required for each AirLIFE mission.

While "dispatch" has been widely known as a thankless job, providing Communications support to the AirLIFE team has been the most rewarding experience in my professional career. When multiple missions are in progress, combined with MEDCOM and PEDICOM requests, Coordinators must provide information rapidly, yet remain just one step ahead of the Flight Crew. When I can arrange the transfer of a critical trauma patient in less than 5 minutes, send the helicopter (or any means of transport requested by the referring agency) and have the patient to a Level One Trauma Center, in some cases less than one hour, then I have made a direct impact on the outcome of the patient. At the end of the day I can take pride in knowing I made a difference in someone’s life. Come join.

Diana Chorn, ACS
Flight Coordinator/Training Coordinator