Air Care 5 at Shenandoah Regional Airport

[jwilliamh]

Hello everybody,

Has anyone observed what frequency AirCare 5 Medevac is dispatched on? The helicopter is based at Shenandoah Regional airport. Thanks in advance.

Jeff Holmes

 

[tglendye]

I'm not sure if they are dispatched via radio, but I'll ask and find out as soon as I can. I spoke to their crew the weekend before last and noticed they had alpha-numeric pagers. I do not know if this is their primary means of dispatch, though.

 

[RagnarD]

Hi All,

I know that here in Hampton Roads Medical Transport is the dispatching agency for Nightingale which is our medevac helo for S.E. VA.

The crews carry alpha pagers in addition to being dispatched via radio. My guess is that the alpha pagers are for the delivery of PHI (Patient Health Info) to the crews.

A typical dispatch for Nightingale is an alert for standby for the requesting agency via radio. The crew acknowledges the standby and then if a launch request is sent from the requesting agency the Geo Coords for the scene and a working frequency of TRS Talk Group are given to the flight crew.

As a side note Medical Transport is on 152.435 with a PL of 192.8. Nightingale talks to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on MED 5 (463.1 and SNGH is on 468.1). This info is in the R/R database

They use 462.975 and 467.975 for position updates and flight status.

Hope this helps

73
de
chris
kq4z

 

[precoislen]

Is this the same Shenandoah Regional Airport in Weyers Cave?

I used to live in Augusta County many years ago so this intresting to see, that an Medevac is in that area. Is Air Care 5 a fixed wing craft (airplane) or is it an helo?

University of Virginia Flight Programs (Pegasus) has run that area for as long as I can remember so I guess that is why I am suprised.

It sure would make it nice instead of waiting on Pegasus from C'ville or Life Guard 10 (Carilion) out of Roanoke.

 

[tglendye]

...PHI (Patient Health Info) to the crews.

I haven't heard of Patient Health Info. This PHI stands for Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. In addition to their energy operations, they also provide medical transports to hospitals and other facilities.

 

[tglendye]

Is this the same Shenandoah Regional Airport in Weyers Cave?

I used to live in Augusta County many years ago so this intresting to see, that an Medevac is in that area. Is Air Care 5 a fixed wing craft (airplane) or is it an helo?

University of Virginia Flight Programs (Pegasus) has run that area for as long as I can remember so I guess that is why I am suprised.

It sure would make it nice instead of waiting on Pegasus from C'ville or Life Guard 10 (Carilion) out of Roanoke.

This is the Weyers Cave airport. Air Care 5 is a helo and started up in the middle of April. They've been a tremendous asset to the valley area in addition to Pegasus. Pegasus still has had a number of flights here in the valley since Air Care 5 began its operations. There have been times when Air Care has already been on a mission and Pegasus was able to accept a new one.

Great to have two so close!

 

[tglendye]

...PHI (Patient Health Info) to the crews.

I haven't heard of Patient Health Info. This PHI stands for Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. In addition to their energy operations, they also provide medical transports to hospitals and other facilities.

Me again... Kg4z- sorry, but I misread your post. I thought you were i.d.'ing Patient Health Info (PHI) as the owner of the helo. PHI (Petroleum Helicopters, Inc) actually does own air care 5 (and also 1-4).

 

[precoislen]

Appreciate the information. Good to know there is now aeromedical service in the Valley. Anybody know what type of craft it is? Be nice if they had a Agusta 109 like Pegasus' new chopper, unless they are flying the typical old standby, a Bell 412.

Good luck on finding dispatch/operations frequencies for the helicopter. In the C'ville area, Pegasus used to dispatch on 462.950 (Med Ch. 9), and of course all pt. information goes to the alphapager. I'm sure for HIPPA requirements. I haven't been back to Va. in over a year so things might have changed.

If I remember right in the Valley, Med 9 is used as an hailing channel for Augusta Cty EOC for ambulances to be patched into AMC in Fishersville on Med Ch. 1 thru 6.

So maybe you might want to search Med Ch. 10 (462.975) or the following VHF freqs (155.340) HEAR1, or the statewide EMS tactical freq. I can't remember off hand what it is (155.220 ?) or something.

Just curious though. Does this helicopter haul trauma related calls straight to UVa, or do they go to RMH or AMC first for patient stabilization?

 

[RagnarD]

Hi All,

Virginia Statewide Mutual Aid is 155.205.

No problem on the misunderstanding about the reference to PHI either. I work in healthcare (in I.T.) so that has been one of our buzz acronyms for about 1 1/2 yrs now.

take care


73
de
chris
kq4z

 

[freqhopping]

I regularly hear the rest of the Aircare helos on 462.975 PL 94.8. So I suggest listening there. I usually hear them enroute to Faifax Hospital. Sometimes they pass patient info on 462.975, other times on Ch. 9B of the Fairfax trunked system.

I don't recall ever hearing a dispatch. But I have heard them announce being airborne from, or on final for Leesburg airport.

 

[jwilliamh]

Hello everyone, thanks for your replies,

(tglendye) I will keep watching for your updates. I know that in northern Virginia Aircare is dispatched via pagers then once in the air, they communicate on 462.975 mhz.

(precoislen) Aircare Medevac 5 is a new Eurocopter EC-135. I am curious on who and to where they give position reports if they do that via radio.

(Question for kq4z) You mentined nightingale is disptched via radio. Is that done on 462.975 with the postion reports/flight status? Or is there a different frequency for alerting?

Thanks again all and sorry I posted this reply as a new topic,
Jeff

 

[RagnarD]

Hi JWillamh,

Medical Transport also dispatches the mobile Intensive Care units for Childrens Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk as well.

The actual dispatch for Nightingale and KD Units is done via radio. Like I said in my original post in this thread that is done on 152.435 with a PL of 192.8.

An alert tone is sent and then Medical Transport says something like this

This is done on 152.435
"Dispatch to Nightingale we have a request for standby for Suffolk for a 2 vehicle MVA"

"Nightingale to Dispatch copy standby for Suffolk"

"Dispatch to Nightingale standby for Landing Zone Coordinates. Landing Zone is at the intersection of road x and road y. Coordinates xx.xx.xx N xxx.xx.xx W."

"Nightingale to Dispatch copy coordinates"

If a launch then the launch order is given or if a stand down then the stand down order is given.

Nightingale does give an initial launch report to the dispatcher at Medical Transport dispatcher of flying altitiude, crew on board, amount of fuel.

"Nightingale to dispatch we will be flying at 1100 feet, 3 souls on board, 1hr and 40 mins of fuel."

All other position updates are given on 462.975

All communications with the scene are dependent on the agency requesting the flight. If it is a community in the metro area they have talkgroups in their TRS's they use for Nightingale. If it is a rural area they typically use Va. Statewide Mutual Aid (155.205). If they are flying into N.E. North Carolina most times it depends on the agency.

All comms with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital are done on MED 5 (463.1)

I know there is alot more information here than what you asked for but I hope you find it helpful.

73
de
chris
kq4z

 

[jwilliamh]

Kq4z,

There's never too much info! Thanks for this info. This was exactly what I was looking for.

Jeff

 

[tglendye]

I spoke with the Aircare 5 flight medic I know yesterday. He said they are dispatched via alpha numeric pagers. I think the page is general. When they receive the page, they will do a weather check (the pilot checks it every hour, anyway) and they call their dispatcher from a satellite phone in the helicopter for the call information.

He said they have a "head start" in Rockingham and Augusta County usually. They monitor their channels and get the ball rolling when they hear fire & rescue with serious calls.

Their main dispatch center is in Phoenix, Arizona. I don't remember if he said they are currently dispatched from there or not. He did say they determined that Virginia needed their own dispatch center and they would also dispatch for Kentucky and Illinois (I think).

He also said that PHI owns the new Skystat helo coming to the Richmond area. Skystat is mainly for inter-facility transports at this time.

Also, I hope the pics come up on the site. This is from yesterday. I've never posted one here, so don't know how it will do.

Todd

 

[br0adband]

kq4z:

Thanks for the information. I live in Portsmouth and I've always been interested in learning more about the alerting and dispatching where Nightingale is concerned. That little tidbit of information pretty much clinches it for me now, and I'll work on getting it entered into my 246T soon.

As a side note, any ideas about the frequency or frequencies that WAVY-TV 10 uses to communicate with Chopper 10? They have been doing a LOT of flyover activity recently in my area of Portsmouth for various reasons, and I can't even lock onto anything using CloseCall when they're overhead.

I know WAVY-TV 10 does an audio feed at 450.350 and on that audio feed I can hear the studio producers speaking to the reporters in the field and also sometimes to the reporter/camera operator in Chopper 10, so I'm curious to know if that's the one single frequency they use for all comms or not.

Many thanks,

Paul

 

[JamesO]

PHI web link

http://www.phihelico.com/Aeromedical_Services.html

 

[JESSERABBIT]

Air Care 4 landed in Jefferson County (Eastern Panhandle of WV) today. They were in contact with Jefferson County Headquarters and JC units at the LZ. They requested that JC contact SYSCOM to let them know that they were on the ground. No further communications were heard from them when they took off.

 

[lghash1]

Here in Rockingham County VA, AirCare is contacted thru their dispatch via telephone. Once in range, they generally communicate with the Emergency Communications Center and ground units via MED 10 channel. They always ask ECC to contact their dispatch to let them know about arrival on and departure from scene.

 

[gcgrotz]

I hear AirCare all the time here in Ch'ville coming to UVa hosp, they use 462.950 (same as Pegasus) as does everyone coming here. I've heard Medevac from all over the state at one time or another. They have been a big help to the Pegasus crew with response to the valley, and covering when Pegasus is on another call. It was sorely needed in this area!

UVa MedComm does use alpha paging but still gives dispatch over the radio, and flight following and patient info and reports to the 3rd year in ER. Don't know how long this will last but with all the "roamer" traffic i suspect it will be around a while.

I have also heard MedComm following Pegasus on Med10 on Elliot's Knob and Massanutten (both operated by Augusta County EOC), their base easily hits those sites. They always do following for all visitors until they are out of range or in touch with their home dispatch.

 

[russ410]

freq's for aircare

Aircare uses 462.975 (pl-94.8) This is dispatched from Fairfax Hosp.Also using the Fairfax Co Radio system on 800mhz.They use 9b. I am a Vol Fireman in Fairfax co.I have alot of inf for the Co Radio systems,also I used to work in the radio shop for fairfax Co.