Wednesday, December 9, 1959

THE WILLIAMS LAKE TRIBUNE

Page 5

Patient only hours awa

By F.L. Trevor Collins

sicker enone Tene fe : ihe duty officer in the opera-
Teland picked tee ir Force Rescut Flight at Sea
bp and reached for his pencil.

“This is the Rescue Co-ordin-,
ation Center,” a voice said, «1|Well aware that a call for help
think we have a mercy flight tow be euswered,
Quesnel. It looks like another; It is a comforting thought
Polio case so will you please ar-|t@ know their patients are only
Tange for a medical staff with|MOWTS away from specialist
the necessary equipment and r'j1/‘Teatment or where adequate
call you back when medical equipment is available
firméa.* in Vancouver.
__ The conversation set in mot-
ion RCAF personnel and equip-
ment that terminated five hours
later with the safe arrival of a
Polio victim at
hospital.

it’s con-

DECISION MADE

The decision to fly a patient
to Vancouver is not made by one
Person only. From the time the
doctor makes his first call for
help until the time an Air Force
;Rursing sister is at the bedside

a Vancouver

It brought to six the total of

poliomyelitis cases this year|°f the patient, a well oiled
flown to Vancouver for treat. |™&chine is set in motion.
ment by 121 Communications| AS is the case of a recent

polio victim at Quesnel: The
doctor's first move is to tele-
Phone the Assistant Provincial
Health Officer, Doctor George
Elliot, or his deputy, Dr. A. A.
Larsen,

and Rescue Flight at
Station Sea Island.

RCAF

This is the same number for
the corresponding period in the
previous two years.

Flying in all types of weather, The case is discussed, and if
the ranging 400 miles to sea|for medical reasons it is deci-
and as far north as the Aretic|ded to fly the patient to Van-
Circle, the rescue flight at Sea couver, a call is made to the
Island is on call 24 hours a day. | Staff Officer Medical Services at

Since 1957 it has completed | the RCAF's 5 Air Division Head-
122 mercy flights. quarters in Vancouver.

One nursing er has been From this point the RCAF
killed and four officers injured. | takes over and the wheels
A Canso rescue aircraft set in motion to get the flight
totally destroyed, underway,

was

British Columbia doctors in| Squadron Leader John Kenny
isolated communities, logging |who is the headquarters’ SOM
camps, mission hospitals, in fact | will

telephone the doctor at
the province are Quesnel to receive a first hand|

anywhere in

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IS THE LAST DAY TO POST YOUR
CHRISTMAS MAIL FOR LOCAL DELIVERY.
TO ENSURE EARLY DELIVERY OF
CHRISTMAS MAIL TO OUT-OF-TOWN
POINTS CONSULT THE POST OFFICE
LEAFLET, WHICH HAS BEEN
DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME.

NOTHING IS SO DISAPPOINTING
AS CHRISTMAS MAIL THAT
ARRIVES TOO LATE.

report on the condition of the
patient and the type of injury
| or ailment.

| Although this takes time, the
[true facts of the case must he
known.

Special equipment for high al-
titude flying is sometimes
quired and must be aboard the
aircraft.

“If, as a result of our dis-
cussion, it is decided the patient
should be flown to Vancouver, I
immediately phone the Rescue
Co-ordination Centre,” said S.L.
Kenny.

In some cases,S.L. Kenny will
warn -RCC before calling the
doctor concerned that a mercy
flight is pending

FLIGHT CO-ORDINATOR

It is now the responsibility
of the Rescue Co-ordination
Centre, headed by Flight Lieut.
Doug Ewart, to co-ordinate all
aspects of the mercy flight.

Sea Island is alerted by direct
telephone. A check is made on
weather conditions, the nearest
landing field, availability of fuel
it necessary for the aircraft, o1
any other facility peculiar to the
mercy flight that might abe re-

re-

quired.
Meanwhile S.L. Kenny is
again busy on the telephone.

This time he is calling the duty
medical officer at Sea Island,
who is given a full report on the
condition of the patient.

field of aviation medicine.

With Sie keaay hey review. Safurday Night

the situation.
If in our opinion the patient

is fit to be moved in an un-
pressurized aircraft,” said $.L. |
Kenny, “we will take off as
oon as possible.” |

Either Flying Officers Edith |
Little or Gervais Devoe,

which |
ever nursing sister is on duty at |
the time briefed by the medi-|
cal officer, and she also prepares
for the

Another important member of
the medical

Medical

trip.

team is also alerted
assistants Sgt. Ed|
Clp. Robert Kneel and/|
Wally Hunt are charged
with the responsibility of ensur-
ing that all medical equipment
that might be required is aboard
the aircraft. One will be as-
signed to the flight.

The next step is up to the
pilot of the aircraft. In this
case it was P.L. Mervan Utas,

and while the medical team was
preparing for the flight, he was
checking weather and warming up
his Dakoat aircraft.

Well aware that high altitudes
could be fatal to the patient on
the return trip, F. L. Utas has
to make every effort to remain
as low as weather will permit.

To fly low up the valleys is
the ideal situation, but he is not
sure if the valleys are free of
cloud. It is too late to find out
on the return trip with the pat-
ient aboard.

The medical staff has to know
the altitude they will be flying
as it will have a direct bearing
on their final decision to carry
the patient to Vancouver.
PREPARE FOR FLIGHT

In this case the valleys were
blocked solid with low cloud and
the pilot was forced to file an
instrument flight plan for

Quesnel. Minimum altitude was
10,000 feet
Meanwhile either S.

. L. Kenny

DISCOVER

FLOOR SHOW

tions
at front door of Shaughnessy

Vertol helicopter of 121 Communica-
i and Rescue Flight lands on lawn

Hospital with a
a recent mer f
Military

t.
— National Defence photo

ities available in Vancouver.

The flight is on, and on arrival
at’ the airport, F. L. Utas has
already checked the weather and
is ready for immediate takeoff.

Minimum safety height over
the coast range mountains on air-
ways is 10,000. This must be
maintained at all cost and to go
higher could endanger the life of
the patient.

In cloud and approaching Hope
the patient is on oxygen and suf-
fering in his respirator.

Doctors and nurses are con-
cerned and advise the pilot of
the patient’s condition.

“He was getting delirious at
10,000 feet,” declared F. L. Utas.

He immediately radioed air
traffic control in Vancouver for

y from specialist by air, thanks to Air Rescue

a lower altitude as soon as
Possible stating that it was an
Air Force mercy flight with a
“very uncomfortable patient
aboard.”

“Those boys are wonderful,”
said F. L. Utas, “As soon as
radar had me safely past Hope,
I was cleared to cross Mapie
Ridge at 8,000 feet, and then
they cleared me right into Van-
couver Airport.”

Even after landing the job
is not finished. An Air Force
ambulance is standing by and
if the patient is in critical con-
dition, a radio call from the
pilot of the air craft to the
Rescue Co-operation Centre will
have a police escort standing by
for a fast trip to the hospital.

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Publishers of The Williams Lake Tribune

They have a patients’ life in or RCC is again busy on the arrive at a the) viving the high altitude flying
their hands who may soon be | Phone with the doctor at Quesnel, patient's fitne bt. /or remaining in Quesnel without
subjected to flying weather that Passing the expected time of ar-| The anees of sur-| the desperately needed polio facil: |
might be bitterly cold or extrem- rival of the aircraft, reques: ——
ely turbulent . and perhaps|the patient be made ready, and
at high altitudes. transportation arranged for the

The decision they have to| medical crew to the hospital.
make is ‘‘ Can he stand it?” On arrival the flying medical i K f
. a team briefly discuss the pa aa OR
| CONDITION REVIEWED [condition with the doctor and Ch

Both Flight Lieutenants Derek
Waller and Robin Percival 7 .

Smith, medical officers at Sea MED AD) fay
Island, are experienced in the By a

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