Carilion adds third helicopter; Lifeguard 12 will be based in Lexington

Carilion Clinic announced that it will add a third medical transport helicopter to its Lifeguard fleet.  This one will be based in Lexington.  Carilion already operates two other medical helicopters – one in Roanoke and the other in the New River Valley.

    Pending approval, the helicopter will be based at Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington. Carilion is partnering with Med-Trans Corporation to provide the service.

    Carilion Clinic officials say the new Lifeguard 12 will also serve Alleghany County and Bath County in Virginia as well as Pocahontas County, Greenbrier County, and Lewisburg in West Virginia.

News Release from Carilion:

CARILION CLINIC ADDING THIRD HELICOPTER TO AIR MEDICAL FLEET

Carilion Clinic Patient Transportation (CCPT) selects Med-Trans for air medical service

ROANOKE, Va. (2/2/12) Carilion Clinic will add a third helicopter to its fleet of medical aircraft serving southwest and central Virginia and sections of West Virginia and North Carolina.  The helicopter, called Carilion Life-Guard 12, will be based in the Rockbridge County area. Its presence will further extend Carilion’s ability to serve the region, which includes Allegheny County, Bath County, Pocahontas County, Greenbrier County and Lewisburg. Life-Guard 12  will significantly reduce response and transport time, providing fast, efficient critical care air services to those in need.

       Life-Guard 12 will join Life-Guard 10 which covers the Roanoke Valley region, and Life-Guard 11, which responds in the New River Valley region from its base at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.

       While planning for the expansion, Carilion sought a partner who was best aligned with the organization’s needs and mission and selected Med-Trans Corp. based out of Dallas, Texas.

       “We are pleased to be partnering with Carilion Clinic and able to contribute to their team’s continued commitment of caring for critical patients in need of air medical transport.  Carilion’s air medical bases will continue to be a regional asset and industry leader providing an invaluable service,” stated Fred Buttrell, President/CEO of Med-Trans Corp.

       Pending approval by the appropriate local agencies and government officials, Carilion plans to construct a permanent base for Life-Guard 12 at Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington.

       “We are extremely excited to provide a home for Life-Guard 12,” said Vice President and CSJH Administrator Chuck Carr. “By basing operations in Lexington, Carilion Clinic Patient Transportation can provide critical, life-saving air transport to a wider area.”

       In addition to Life-Guard 12, CCPT plans to relocate Life-Guard 10 to a newly planned facility in the Westlake area of Franklin County.   Roanoke Life-Guard base will continue to serve all three helicopters.

           “A base in Franklin County will improve response times in our service area south of Roanoke. This is particularly important to Heart Alert and Stroke Alert, and trauma patients whose outcomes can depend on timely treatment,” said Paul B. Davenport, Carilion Clinic Vice President for Emergency Services.

       From its new base Franklin County base, Life-Guard 10 will significantly improve response and transport times for Henry County, Patrick County, Bedford County, Pittsylvania County, Martinsville and Danville.

       Carilion Life-Guard 12 is expected to begin flying in April of 2012.

About Carilion Clinic
Carilion Clinic is a not-for-profit healthcare organization serving nearly one million people in Virginia through hospitals, outpatient specialty centers and advanced primary care practices. Led by multi-specialty physician teams with a shared philosophy that puts the patient first, Carilion is committed to improving outcomes for every patient while advancing the quality of care through medical education and research. For more information visit www.carilionclinic.org/about.

About Med-Trans
Med-Trans Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading provider of air ambulance programs throughout the United States. A proven solution to our partners, Med-Trans offers an array of customized air medical program designs including hybrid models, community based models or traditional hospital-based models. The company’s extensive fleet rapidly delivers teams of highly trained professionals to patients, striving to provide the patient with the best possible outcome.  For more information, please visit:   www.med-trans.net

Deadly Days on I-81

I-81 in Rockbridge County claimed several lives in a 3 day period. On Friday January 27th a Natural Bridge man was killed when he crashed at mile marker 182 South Bound as he was on his way home from work. The accident happened around 6:30; the weather in the area was clear.

The second deadly accident occured Monday night January 30th when a man from Alabama died after the tractor trailer he was driving rear ended another tractor trailer that had broken down around mile marker 196 in the construction zone of the north bound lanes, approximnately 6 miles noth of Lexington. The accident occurred at 6:10 p.m. The driver died after his truck caught fire and the fire spread to the other truck that had been hit in the rear. The vehicle that caught fire was carrying shredded aluminum and the vehicle that was struck was carrying fresh produce. The interstate was closed for 14 hours while crews worked to clean up the incident. A detour was in place for all north bound traffic.

A local woman from Fairfield was killed around noon on Tuesday when the vehicle she was driving crashed in the 1800 block of North Lee Highway. The vehicle hit a tree, rolled over and struck another tree before coming to rest.

On Thursday February 2nd another tractor trailer incident in Botetourt County impacted travelers on I-81 in Rockbridge County. Shortly after 2:00 a.m. a tractor trailer crashed on I-81 at mile marker 167 north bound spilling the contents of his load, the truck was then struck by another tractor trailer. The driver who was from Pennsylvania died as a result of the accident and the interstate in both directions remain closed while haz-mat crews clean up the spill. The truck was carrying trioglycol which is a poisonous material.

New EOC Facilitates Multiagency Coordination

This is a very thought providing article on the combined use of one Emergency Operations Center that combines, police, fire, EMS, and Emergency Management into one facility. The ultimate goal is to save the taxpayers dollars and while there is significant cost of the front end of a project like this the cost savings over a period of time are great.

As budgets continue to shink and the taxpayers are demanding more, this makes sense for those in the first responder community. Local government should look at this as the model for improvement and cost saving while providing the necessary services to its citizens. In rural areas of the country this makes sense due to the lack of a significant tax base.

Governments must continue to be forward thinking and stay one step in front or they will find themselves with outdated and inefficient dispatch centers, and this in the long run will cost the taxpayers more of their hard earned money. Citizens will continue to demand services from their emergency services and this is a way to stay on the cutting edge.

New EOC Facilitates Multiagency Coordination.

WINTER PREPAREDNESS

 NEWS RELEASE

 Virginia Department of Emergency Management

10501 Trade Court, Richmond, VA 23236 l

(804) 897-6510 l www.vaemergency.gov

 CONTACT:           Bob Spieldenner        

(804) 674-2400                                                       Nov. 28, 2011

                                bob.spieldenner@vdem.virginia.gov

 Winter came early – were you ready?
Winter Preparedness Week is Dec. 4-10

 RICHMOND, Va. – Old Man Winter paid an early visit to many Virginia communities at the end of October with snow accumulation and cold temperatures.  The Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service remind Virginians that Winter Preparedness Week, Dec. 4-10, is a great opportunity to make a plan for handling severe winter weather.

“Making a plan is the most important thing that Virginians can do to ensure their family’s safety,” said Michael Cline, state coordinator of emergency management.  “Making a plan doesn’t cost anything, and it can greatly reduce the potential loss of life and property during the winter months.”

Snow and ice storms can cause lengthy power outages, life-threatening low temperatures and dangerous road conditions.  Injury and death from hypothermia, heart attack, stroke and traffic crashes are all too common during the winter season. Start emergency planning with a free family plan worksheet and an online fill-in version at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/makeaplan. 

Being prepared to stay where you are until conditions improve is another important part of winter planning. 

 “Last winter’s severe weather caused power outages that shut down schools, offices and businesses,” said Bill Sammler, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist in Wakefield.  “There’s always a good chance that every winter we will see severe weather somewhere in Virginia.  Some years the snow and cold temperatures are widespread.  So everyone, no matter where they live in Virginia, needs to be sure they are properly prepared for winter weather.”

VDEM TIPS FOR WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS

• Get a kit. You’ll need emergency supplies on hand at home, in the car and at work. 
• For home, start with these basics: three days’ food and water; a battery-powered and/or hand-crank radio with extra batteries; and a family emergency plan. After getting these supplies, add a first aid kit, medications if needed, blankets and warm clothing, supplies for special members of your household, and pet items.
• For your car, start with some bottles of water and food bars; bag of sand or kitty litter to provide traction under tires; hats, gloves and blankets; and cell phone charger.
• For your office, have some bottles of water and food bars and a radio to hear local information about whether or not it is safe to travel.  Officials may advise staying in place until it is safe to travel.
• Make a plan. Choose an out-of-town relative or friend to be your family’s point of contact for emergency communications. Decide on a meeting place if your family cannot return home because of closed roads. Discuss with your family what you would do in case of severe winter weather in your area.
• Stay informed. Before, during and after a winter storm, listen for up-to-date information from your local media and emergency officials. Local media will give instructions from local, state and federal agencies that cover road conditions, winter storm watches and warnings, power outages and health information. Make sure your battery-powered radio is working and you have extra batteries in case the electricity goes out.

ADDITIONAL WINTER SAFETY TIPS

• Keep space heaters at least three feet from other objects. Never leave space heaters unattended. Install a smoke detector in every bedroom and on each level of your home. Check the batteries monthly, and replace them once a year at the same time every year.
• In case of power outages, use flashlights instead of candles for light.
• Use generators only outdoors and only in well ventilated areas.
• Make sure outdoor pets have adequate shelter, unfrozen water and food.
• If your household includes someone with special needs (has a disability, requires electricity to operate home medical equipment, needs to go to dialysis, etc.) call your local emergency manager to let them know where you live and what you will need during an emergency.
• Driving is most dangerous when the temperature is at or under 32° F. If the road is wet, patches of ice are possible, especially on bridges and curves. Avoid using cruise control in winter weather conditions.
• Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind other vehicles and trucks that are plowing the road.
• Don’t pass a snowplow or spreader unless it is absolutely necessary. Treat these as you would emergency response vehicles.
• Keep an emergency winter driving kit in your car.

For more on preparing for winter weather in Virginia, visit www.ReadyVirginia.gov and click on Stay Informed.

Alarm Sounded Over Exploding Reefers

Hundreds of refrigerated containers have been quarantined in various locations around the world following reports of compressor explosions and incidents of spontaneous combustion that have resulted in at least three fatalities.

 The alarm was raised by Maersk Line on 18 October when it informed the World Shipping Council’s Safe Transport of Containers Working Group that it had recently experienced three cases in which refrigeration units had exploded for no apparent reason.

 While the precise causes of the explosions are still under investigation, Maersk said it had ascertained that all three refrigeration units involved had received gas repairs in Vietnam between late March and late April and advised other lines that had had similar gas repairs or maintenance to refrigeration units in Vietnam to identify and investigate those units.

 Observers say all the major reefer machinery brands – Carrier, Daikin, Thermo King and Star Cool – are potentially affected by what is suspected to be the introduction of contaminated or otherwise unsuitable refrigerant gas into the system that causes a chemical reaction when it comes into contact with R134a, oil or air, creating a flammable/explosive mixture.

 At least two Carrier ThinLINE and one Star Cool unit are reported to have suffered compressor ruptures in separate incidents in Brazil, China and Vietnam, while refrigerant gas from a Daikin LXE10E unit is said to have spontaneously combusted when exposed to air.

 On 21 October, Carrier Transicold, the world’s biggest reefer container machinery manufacturer, sent an urgent safety bulletin to all its authorised service centres reporting that four reefer units are now known to have experienced compressor ruptures.

 Carrier said Maersk, CMA/CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and others have identified at least 900 refrigeration units that they suspect may contain contaminated refrigerant and have quarantined those units.

 As part of the quarantine, Maersk has given instructions to cross stuff cargo where possible, unplug the suspect reefers and store them in an isolated location with the machinery units facing away from people or traffic or stacked with the units facing each other.

 Carrier advised its service centres to contact reefer customers and request that they immediately implement a reefer quarantine policy that follows the Maersk guidelines for units that have had refrigeration system work performed in Vietnam during 2011 and recommended that no work be carried out on reefers until the reefer owner or lessee can provide service records verifying that the reefer did not have any refrigeration system service work completed in Vietnam during 2011.

Community Preparedness and Response Training is the Goal of the CERT Class

Students from SVU and area citizens took part in a 20 hour CERT Training Course at the County’s 4-H Extension Office during the week of October 24-27 and finished up with practical exercises on Saturday the 29th providing them a better understanding of Disaster Preparedness.

 This BASIC FALL CLASS designed for Community Emergency Response Team members (CERT) had a class of 15 attendees who took time to learn about Disaster Preparedness / Fire Safety and Utility Control Awareness / Disaster Medical Operations /Disaster Psychology/Light Search and Rescue /CERT Organization /Terrorism and CERT

 Participants received instruction from Firefighter/EMT-B Gary Smith with the South River Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Management Coordinator Robert Foresman.

 The goal of the CERT class is to have community citizens that are trained in the basics of emergency response so that they can assist in their neighborhoods when disaster strikes and first responders are overwhelmed with the events of the disaster. These individuals are there to assist as needed whether it is during a hurricane, snowstorm, a fire, or some man-made event. Having citizens trained to help during times of disasters allows us as a community to build and enhance our capacity to help ourselves said Robert Foresman, Rockbridge County Emergency Manager.

 Rockbridge County Resident CERT Volunteer and Disaster Preparedness Educator Peggy Selden supplied the class with supplemental materials and Grab-N-Go Kit ideas and brochures full of educational material.  It is hoped that this class will become the second phase of Rockbridge County’s Ambassadors promoting Disaster Preparedness among their family and friends.  The first phase of Rockbridge CERT began with a training session in late 2010 with 25 people finishing their class in November of 2010.  Formation of Rockbridge CERT officially started in January 2011.  The graduates of the fall 2010 class spent time developing the organizational structure for the group, once the structure was in place the group could then move forward with promoting community preparedness. CERT members have been active in Public Events like participating in 2010 Christmas Food Basket / Glasgow’s Emergency Services Day / Glasgow’s Riverfest / Rockbridge Community Festival / Rockbridge Baths Labor Day Celebration/ Vesuvius Community Meeting and most recently SNAP FITNESS Health Fair.

 Interested organizers of local groups or clubs wishing to obtain “free’ CERT Training can contact the Office of Emergency Management for time and date of the next class offering.

COSTS, FUNDING AND PRIORITIZATION OF VIRGINIA DAMS TO MEET MINIMUM PUBLIC SAFETY STANDARDS

A report by the Department of Conservation and Recreation provides anticapated costs, funding, and priorization for repairing Virginia Dams that do not meet current minimum public safety standards. The entire report can be found at: http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD2572011/$file/RD257.pdf