The PELA Project
DECATUR FIRE AND RESCUE COMPLETES OFFICAL ROLLOUT OF THE PELA PROJECT
The Dream of a City-Wide Helo Grid Realized
Over 100 firefighters, medics, pilots, state troopers, police officers, and ambulance crews were invited to the official rollout of The PELA Project at Decatur's Fire & Police Training Center June 22-24 to receive an orientation to the country's first municipal emergency helo grid. After one year of mapping and design, 2008-2009 was designated as a trial period for the project culminating in a three-day instructional series to regional air services and mult-agency Public Safety personnel.
The Grid
The City of Decatur now has 170 to 200 pre-evaluated landing areas (PELA) to facilitate faster, safer airlift by regional air ambulance services. In March 2007, Decatur Fire officers and crews began Phase I of the mapping effort to create a city wide PELA grid which, including its police jurisdictions, encompassed a 120 square mile area. The GPS mapping effort was coordinated through the city's eight fire districts as a natural extension of their territorial studies. The quality chain includes PELA project developer and coordinator, Lt. Douglass Davies, district lieutenants and crews, MedFlight lead pilots, Tom Reynard (Ret.) and Roy Sumja, Tami Hambi, Geographical Information System (G.I.S.) Coordinator with Morgan County 911, and Brad Phillips, Sr.GIS Support Analyst with the city's Department of Information Systems.
Coordinates were entered into Morgan County's 911 CAD system and the city's G.I.S. database to create a master PELA grid now accessible to medical flight organizations and emergency responders throughout the region. The project marks Decatur's venture into the creation of a "soft infrastructure" component laying the groundwork for a more sophisticated grid in 2009-2010.
The Implications
"It's a win-win for the citizens of Decatur," Davies stated. "The time necessary to airlift trauma patients to the appropriate facilty has been reduced by 20% in some cases. Medical help is on its way to our citizens at 125-140 knots flying as the crow flies vs navigation via landmarks. It's tough to fly landmarks in low visbility; its slow and more dangerous. With these new processes in place, it's safer logistics for pilots, patients and ground crews, particularly night landings in rural areas where power lines are a constant threat. It encourages better decision-making by our fire officers and has deepened our understanding of medical airlift protocols and the special hazards asssociated with this type of rescue."
A Quality of Life Issue
"It's definitely a quality of life issue," said Decatur Chamber President & CEO John Seymour. "When we present our area to new industry and residents coming south as a result of the U.S. Government's Base Realigniment and Closure project (BRAC), for instance, providing a sophisticated level of medical service to residents is a real plus. It gives our area an edge and communicates the right message to our current and prospective citizens."
multi-agency approach
MedFlight Lead pilot, Paul Richtmyer explains basic flight dynamics to PELA School attendees.
Davies stated that he greatly appreciated the multi-agency effort expended by Morgan County 911, City Information Systems, City Planning and Fire Chief Charlie Johnson for green lighting the project in the early stages. Adventure GPS VP Rick Lewis of Decatur also stepped forward to assist the department in securing high quality GPS gear and provides ongoing expertise with other GPS applications.
INNOVATION IN CITY GOVERNMENT
"The PELA project is a perfect example of adding value through innovation in city government," said Davies. "No added tax dollars, increased budgets, or long term investment were required. The project was accomplished with funds, personnel, and equipment already allocated. The net result of the project will save lives and address safety issues within the rapidly expanding air ambulance industry. It's gratifying to witness the outcome of a multi-agency effort to obtain high yield results like improving the transport times of trauma patients and increased safety for our pilots and medical teams."
Of the nearly 5,000 emergency incidents the fire department responded to in 2009, just under 70% were EMS-related. Decatur's new PELA grid encompasses approximately 120 square miles and is the first known municipality in the U.S. to establish a city-wide helo grid managed by city government. Initial discussions have commenced with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to certify the PELA program.
The PELA Project began as a joint effort between MedFlight and Decatur Fire & Rescue.
WAFF 48 (NBC) News Story
http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=8132451&nav=menu62_1_2
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