The PELA Project
Decatur Fire and Rescue Completes One Year GPS Mapping Project: Creates City-Wide Landing Grid
the dream of a City Wide Helo Grid realized
The City of Decatur now has over 155+ "pre-existing landing areas" (PELA) to facilitate faster, safer airlift by regional air ambulance services. Commencing 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, encompasses 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/Coordinator Lt. Douglass Davies, district lieutenants and crews, veteran lead pilots, Tom Reynard (Ret.) and Roy Sumja with MedFlight, 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.
The coordinates were entered into the Morgan County 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 through Morgan County 911. The project marks Decatur's venture into the creation of a "soft infrastructure" component laying the groundwork for a more sophisticated grid in 2008-2009.
The Implications
"It's a win-win for the citizens of Decatur," PELA Project Developer/Coordinator, Lt. Douglass Davies stated. "The time necessary to airlift trauma patients to the appropriate facilty has been reduced to 20% in some cases. Medical help is on its way to our citizens at 140 knots flying as the crow flies vs navigation via landmarks. It's tough to fly landmarks in low visbility; its slow and can be 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 on the ground 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
Davies stated he greatly appreciated the multi-agency effort expended by Morgan County 911, City Information Systems and Planning and the Fire Department, crediting Fire Chief Charlie Johnson's willingness to greenlight the project as the critical first step in making The PELA Project a reality. Adventure GPS V.P. 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 model case of adding value through innovation in city government," Davies states. "No added tax dollars, increased budgets, or long term investment was required. The project was accomplished through a redirection of funds 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 what the efforts of a multi-agency approach can yield when existing resources are focused on a high value result like providing first class patient care." Davies added.
Of the nearly 5,000 emergency incidents the fire department responded to in 2007, 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.
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