ALTON, IL (KTVI) – ‘Blood coming from his ears,’ says an EMT responding to an unresponsive teenager.
In Brighton, Illinois at the BMX Park, a bike ride has gone wrong.
‘One, two, three on my count,’ says a paramedic helping lift the teen onto a stretcher.
Getting this teenager to a hospital quickly is critical. That`s why this exercise in air support is so important before children`s hospital starts their new scene response program.
‘He has open fractures, both bones in his leg and a head injury,’ says Brandie Tieken, Critical Care Transport Team. ‘So you can see what looks like bone sticking out of his leg and blood out of his ears.’
But if you keep your eyes open you`ll notice this is just a drill, a launch scene response drill.
Children`s hospital and their critical care transport team will embed nurses and paramedics at two area hospitals, Alton memorial in the metro east and parkland health Center in Farmington, Mo.
‘This is going to speed up probably by 35 to 40 minutes and decrease the time that a child gets to a trauma center,’ says Jason Bowman, Chief of EMS at Alton Memorial.
‘Some of our early research shows that if you get specialty teams in on the care of patients earlier you`ll have better outcomes,’ says Brandie Tieken, Coordinator, and Critical Care Transport Team.
These flying first responders know there are fireworks on the horizon and an increase for injuries.
They`re launching this new service July 1st.
‘Fourth of July coming up I hope we will not have to use this resource but in the back of our minds it`s there,’ says Bowman.
