How do EMS patches work?

[VE3RADIO]

The Air Ambulance used to be fun to listen to. I would be able to hear what was going on to Sunnybrooke or St. Mikes, sometimes the Air Amublances were taking critical patients from 1,000's of Km's with a lot of personal info and a lot of jargon and chatter between crew and Doctor.
Sadly, they went over to the dark side Sat phones earlier this century.

I hear them all the time on this:

413.68750 - MOHMedcom - Air Ambulance Medcom Helicopters

 

[unlisted]

I hear them all the time on this:

413.68750 - MOHMedcom - Air Ambulance Medcom Helicopters

I also hear them on PCOM 150.1000 occasionally. Actually, I heard them last week when they were called to pick up a worker who fell off a roof a few blocks from my house.

 

[mrnurse]

As an ER nurse the patch, between EMS and the hospital works just like most have stated. The hospitals that are under Lindsay CACC tell the medic to switch to a TAC channel and the patch phone beeps at the hospital. It used to be the old red rotary dial phone. The handset had a PTT button etc. The new phone has changed to a motorola radio. The information given to the ER is more to prepare a space if necessary and gather the necessary resources for true emergencies. The patch contains no personal/identifying information and usually chief complaint and abnormal vitals etc, but it is nice as an ER dept to be prepared for a VSA, or MI or stroke protocol. The Privacy act reaches far and wide and they know people like us are listening. The EMS still used the older code system and they give a CTAS number according to what a patient is presenting with.

And the nurse does sound snotty sometimes If you were on the receiving end of some of the blatant abuses of the EMS system you'd be frustrated too.

 

[EJB]

I hear them all the time on this:

413.68750 - MOHMedcom - Air Ambulance Medcom Helicopters

I know I hear them also. They flu right over my place when going to and from Hamilton General and Mac.

But back in the previous century you heard a great deal of information concerning the patient being radioed to the hospital. The name, age, med history, vitals, were relied by radio to the doctor on the radio. I heard about 10 yrs ago they stopped radioing this info and went to phones or sat phones.
You'd hear the helicopter flying from the boondocks to Sunnybrook and or St. Mikes (and Sick Kids) with very elaborate information and it was interesting to listen to.