Ambulance/medical transportation on Radio Communications of VA TRS

[NS9710]

Radio Communications of Virginia (Connect Plus) Trunking System, Various, Virginia

Radio Communications of Virginia (Connect Plus) Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

On this system I've recently heard a medical transportation company using Talkgroup 55, could also be Amelia ambulance.

I just hear unit numbers used, and phrases like "Patient is heading to an appointment", "Transferring from [hospital name] to [hospital name].

They only refer to dispatch as "Base", so I'm not positive on what the company is, hoping someone can help define what company this is, mostly seems to be based around Richmond and the north Chesterfield area from what I can hear, but I only get the Petersburg site for communications, if this is where "Base" is, it'd point out LifeStar Ambulance. I've not noticed what slot they're using.

 

[W4UVV]

Radio Communications of Virginia (Connect Plus) Trunking System, Various, Virginia

Radio Communications of Virginia (Connect Plus) Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

On this system I've recently heard a medical transportation company using Talkgroup 55, could also be Amelia ambulance.

I just hear unit numbers used, and phrases like "Patient is heading to an appointment", "Transferring from [hospital name] to [hospital name].

They only refer to dispatch as "Base", so I'm not positive on what the company is, hoping someone can help define what company this is, mostly seems to be based around Richmond and the north Chesterfield area from what I can hear, but I only get the Petersburg site for communications, if this is where "Base" is, it'd point out LifeStar Ambulance. I've not noticed what slot they're using.

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NS9710,

You are correct. "Base" is dispatch is correct by design. Amelia Ambulance basically is a patient transport service to/from guess where....mostly "Amelia Co" and the designated hospital is the user on TG 55. They were one of the early original subscriber's to the RCV Connect Plus trs. Their original T/R antenna installed left a lot to be desired as a knowledgeable source told me and was being replaced. At that same time period he provided me info related to the subject who had read some of my RR VA forum posts, regarding the four RCV trs. He provided operations ids based on the condition I not publish them although some of the various numbered users provided previously had been ided. Occasionally, I monitor the RCV Connect Plus trs sites and occasionally hear Amelia Ambulances usually going to St. Marys hospital. Amelia Ambulance also uses TG 54.

One reason you are hearing Amelia Ambulance on only one of the four site trs frequencie's is because the Connect Plus trs System Controller assigned the comms to only one of the four sites involved..Petersburg. The other three sites are Richmond, Midlothian and Warsaw....formerly Tappahannock.

This is another past well documented subject discussed years earlier on this forum. Recommend first always do a RR search for the subject matter of interest. You will be surprised as to how helpful and informative past posted info can be from the past.

John
W4UVV

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Amelia Ambulance moved to Grenoble Road in Henrico County about a decade ago, and subsequently closed its doors in 2017.

Some of the private EMS agencies you see throughout the RVA include

• AMR (Henrico-based)
• Forest (Henrico-based)
• Delta Transport Services (Henrico-based)
• DRT (Appomattox-based, but have one unit staged in the western Richmond area)
• LifeCare (Fredericksburg-based)
• Lifestar (Emporia-based)

 

[n3obl]

DRT - dead right there ambulance!

 

[BoxAlarm187]

DRT - dead right there ambulance!

The story, as relayed to me, is that the owner was bet that he couldn't/wouldn't use "DRT" in the name of the company, so he formed the "Delta Response Team."

 

[W4UVV]

Amelia Ambulance moved to Grenoble Road in Henrico County about a decade ago, and subsequently closed its doors in 2017.

Some of the private EMS agencies you see throughout the RVA include

• AMR (Henrico-based)
• Forest (Henrico-based)
• Delta Transport Services (Henrico-based)
• DRT (Appomattox-based, but have one unit staged in the western Richmond area)
• LifeCare (Fredericksburg-based)
• Lifestar (Emporia-based)

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BoxAlarm187,

Thanks for the update. I have noticed during the past 5 years this appears to be a trend of fewer users on this trs. I use one of my upgraded 536s to monitor this RCV Connect Plus trs. I noticed the fewer comm activities. Relatively fewer users are active which is not a good growth trend indicator. Just the electric bill for all four sites I suspect is four figures. In my opinion, this situation does not bode well for the future if remaining current users tend to cancel their accounts. Perhaps their other comm contracts can help offset whatever the negatives are to create a positive growth bottom line for the future. Time will tell.

John
W4UVV
-----------------------

FYI: About 20 minutes ago I heard a medical transport service dispatch/unit comm on TG55. That explains why NS9710 recently also monitoring heard TG55 comms and assumed incorrectly as I would have, it was Amelia Ambulance. But now we have confirmation it no longer had been in business for the several past years. That then begs the question as to who is the "new" TG55 user? My guess is it is another Richmond area medical transport service that purchased some or all of Amelia Ambulance Service's assets. RCV probably is both the installer and maintainer and rents the radio equipment already installed or RCV reinstalled the radios in other ambulances. RCV canceled Amelia Ambulance Services account, established a new RCV account in the unknown new user's name who also had continued to use TG54/55 for the past three years.

Does anyone know who was the Richmond area ambulance transport purchaser of Amelia Ambulances' assets and now using the same RCV TGs? If it were a different business or service, RCV would have issued two new TGs and not continued to use TG 54&55.

I did a Google search and there were no returns regarding the distribution of Amelia Ambulances' assets.

John
W4UVV

 

[trainman111]

Forest Ambulance Service purchased the bulk of Amelia Ambulance Service's equipment, to include much of the ambulance fleet.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Forest Ambulance Service purchased the bulk of Amelia Ambulance Service's equipment, to include much of the ambulance fleet.

Correct, Trainman beat me to it.

 

[W4UVV]

Forest Ambulance Service purchased the bulk of Amelia Ambulance Service's equipment, to include much of the ambulance fleet.

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Trainman111,
Thanks very much for the "new" confirmed RCV TG 54/55 user. You just saved me additional monitoring time dedicated to attempting to get any clue as to who was the actual user. Although just a guess, I suspected it might be one of their former local competitors. Considering the circumstances at that time, it was a good resolution for both parties. I wish the other RCV users were that easy to id.

John
W4UVV

 

[trainman111]

I wouldn’t be so quick to assume the discovery is actually Forest Ambulance without verifying. The radios were removed from the radios prior to being sold to Forest, since they are property of RCV under a lease agreement. I’ll listen in as well and see if I can confirm the user.