County to order new air ambulance next month

| July 22, 2012

Eurocopter EC145T2. (www.eurocopter.com)

Commissioners have decided to order a new helicopter that may not be as fast or fancy as some other models available, but it is well suited for Dare County’s purposes, according to an analysis by Emergency Medical Services.

Still, it will be two years before the new Eurocopter EC145T2 will go into service after it is ordered in August, said county spokeswoman Dorothy Killingsworth.

In the meantime, Dare MedFlight’s workhorse will continue to shuttle patients with serious illnesses and injuries. The chopper was grounded for scheduled maintenance earlier this year, but it also lost some air hours for repairs to a cracked tail.

Dare has long planned to replace the helicopter and has looked at various options. It was put in the county’s long-range capital improvement plan in October.

“The EC145T2 is a similar, but updated, model of our current helicopter and will require training to get our staff ‘up to speed’ in the operation and maintenance of the new aircraft,” Chief Pilot Larry Mims said in a memo to commissioners. “As a similar updated model of our current helicopter it will easily, and fully, meet our current flight mission needs, including special operations like those missions called for after hurricane Irene.”

As ordered, the chopper will come “green” at $6.8 million, meaning it will have to be equipped for air ambulance service. The County plans to use general obligation bonds to borrow a total of $7.26 million.

The aircraft has range of 356 nautical miles and a fast cruising speed of 134 knots. In its stock configuration, it can carry one or two pilots and up to nine passengers.

Rendering of the new MedFlight helicopter. (Dare County)

Keeping the old helicopter, which went into service for Dare County in 1990, would cost $300,000 to $400,000 annually for maintenance, Finance Director David Clawson said in October.

Trading it in for $1.5 million would cut the amount the county would need to finance to $7.6 million. Annual payments starting in 2014 at $945,000 would also be reduced if the county billed Medicare and private insurance for the cost of flights, according to figures in the plan.

New figures estimate that the trade-in will not be as much — $1 million — but it will offset the cost of equipping it up for Dare County’s use. A little over $522,000 of that will be for medical retrofitting, with the rest going toward avionics, other items and a 5 percent contingency of $392,348.

A comparison estimated that over 12 years, the county would pay about $700,000 more in annual lease payments than it would to repay debt on buying the helicopter.

Dare also plans to start billing Medicare and other insurance carriers for reimbursement.

The old helicopter has been in service for more than 20 years. (Dare County)

County figures show that a fee-based service starting in 2014 would bring in an estimated $1 million a year. Tighter Federal Aviation Administration standards would mean about $675,000 extra in annual maintenance expenses, but that would still leave a net of $375,000 a year to help pay off the debt.

Commissioners approved a sole-source purchase rather than bidding based on a comparison of six helicopters in the EMS analysis.

See the full analysis »

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See what people are saying:

  • Jeff says:

    Medflight saved my father’s life and countless others, so I’m pleased with this new acquisition. It’s not cheap, but well worth the expense.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 7:55 am

  • Richard says:

    at 7.2 million it comes in second to the new county radio system. let’s hope it works better.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 9:36 am

  • Jackie Harris says:

    The numbers do not seem to match up??, Trade in for 1.5 mil will net 1 mil. which will cover set up for new helo. Cost of new helo 6.8 mil. why finance 7.6 mi if the trade in is going to cover new set up?? sounds like there is some excess here. Could it be the reporter got the wrong info??? Or like a lot of stuff that comes out of Dare te numbers do not jive! By the way how is the new EMS schedule working out??? are the savings working out on OT reduction??

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 10:09 am

  • OBX says:

    @Jackie Harris: No. They bigwigs are having to call in more emts than ever to work to get all the rigs on the road they promised they would have. ask the emts how good life is now.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 1:45 pm

  • jeff says:

    Let’s get the facts. It was down for a couple of months for a cracked tail. Then it was in service when it the went out of service for several months for unscheduled engine rebuilds and a major overhaul. Not surprisingly we got along fine without it for months.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 4:55 pm

  • Dare county family says:

    I will tell you the new schedule sucks for the employees and there family’s.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 6:18 pm

  • Dare county family says:

    Sorry sucks is the wrong word. It is a lot harder.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 6:20 pm

  • junkman says:

    Eurocopter……what happened to “buy American” ?
    Can’t wait to hear from the tea party on this one.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 6:22 pm

  • Joe says:

    As ordered, the chopper will come “green” at $6.8 million, meaning it will have to be equipped for air ambulance service.

    The extra money I assume is to outfit the helo with various EMS equipment.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 6:55 pm

  • pete says:

    don’t really want to be buying a helicopter based on it coming from the low bidder

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 7:03 pm

  • Gene Varble says:

    Over 10 years ago, I smashed onto the pavement, was defibbed, and got a great ride on our Helio to VB. Thanks very much for the service. Don’t want to go that way again if possible.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 8:01 pm

  • ekim says:

    Cant we just make our hospital butt kickin so we dont have to fly out , Our USAF ARMY & NAVY are flying OLDER & the cost of mant isnt 200.000 what gives????

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 8:34 pm

  • KDH Rezident Evil says:

    @ jeff #2: Define “we” and define “fine”.

    Do you have access to some county wide medical database that lets you make such a sweeping statement. How do you know what kind of difference a rapid medical response could have made in any individual’s case? I’m in the boat with Jeff (#1), Gene, and others. Having the emergency air service has made a difference and not just for medical emergencies.

    • on July 23, 2012 @ 9:17 pm

  • Bill Myatt says:

    Why not ask for donations like Norfolk Sentara did for the new “Nightingale”. We gave a donation and if everyone did it would be quite profitable? The need is there so I am sure that people would donate as it is a tax deductable donation?????

    • on July 24, 2012 @ 9:11 am

  • fd says:

    Richard I agree with you about the radio system. All of that money spent for something we didn’t need and now just ignoring the problems we are having with it.

    • on July 24, 2012 @ 9:52 am

  • fd says:

    The perosn who put that new schedule together for the emt’s ouught to be made to work it

    • on July 24, 2012 @ 9:54 am

  • Ekim says:

    TAXES ARE GOING UUUUUUUUPPPPP!!!!!! I aint got it, Iam hiding what I can!

    • on July 24, 2012 @ 8:08 pm

  • ekim says:

    You EMT CRY BABIES If you dont like it QUIT , I had 53 hrs by thursday last week, LOVE THE $$$$$$$ !!!!!!

    • on July 25, 2012 @ 8:18 am

  • fd says:

    ekim, people like you who don’t appreciate what our first responders have to go through deserve to have sit and wait for ambulance show up for you or your family. The overtime they have to put in is a lot differnt they the overtime you make. They don’t see a lot of the$$$$$$$$!

    • on July 25, 2012 @ 11:39 am

  • fd says:

    should be different than the overtime you make

    • on July 25, 2012 @ 11:40 am

  • Jason says:

    ekim, the military helicopters are cheaper to maintain because AIRMEN maintain them, not private for-profit companies. The figures they provide are only parts bought at cost. Get your facts straight.

    • on July 25, 2012 @ 5:36 pm

  • ekim says:

    FD tierd of the whining OVERTIME IS OVERTIME thats your problem (Lowes is hiring) @ JASON most of the military aircraft are older then ME! Maybe the county should look @ other COMPANIES, and TIGHTEN up our so called HOSPITAL!This new WHIRLY BIRD is not NECESSARY! Get REAL!

    • on July 25, 2012 @ 10:01 pm

  • fd says:

    I don’t have a problem. I do not work for ems so i don’t need a job at lowes. I just support and work with our local ems who do an outstanding job. overtime is not overtime in their case. talk to them. listen. try to find out what is going on before you call them whiners. with the schedule they are working it is just a matter of time before a mistake is made or they are involved in an accident because of the duress they are under to work this schedule. You are the only whiner is see.

    • on July 26, 2012 @ 12:10 pm

  • KDH Rezident Evil says:

    It is incredible to see some of the negative comments here, particularly about “not needing” a helicopter, then one or two articles over, reading a story about how having the helicopter probably saved a life.

    I realize there is a lot of sand around here, but it doesn’t mean you have to bury your head in it.

    • on July 26, 2012 @ 3:51 pm

  • Richard Marlin says:

    When I moved here 25 zillion years ago I though as many did that having a county owned air transport system was valuable but should be fixed wing and therefore much cheaper to use and maintain. I was WAY WRONG.
    The fact that Dare MedFright is about twenty minutes away from me has proven over the years to have saved a many a life in my opinion. Obviously the cost of this tool is high. but it works. The other air service providers are much further away and last I looked, we still can’t achieve the famous “golden hour” no matter what we use.
    I am talking trauma or heart problems and to a real medical facility or Trauma center not the doc in a box in Nags Head. This is not a forum for EMS problems, were talking here about a near 8 million dollar “new car” not about a screwed up scheduling mess dreamed up by fools.
    Chief 42

    • on July 27, 2012 @ 7:39 am

  • Jackie Harris says:

    What some people do not know about the new schedule is there are emt’s working on the south island that are getting off at midnight and having to be back on duty at 6 am. That does not sound to bad unless you live in KH,KDH Manteo and have to commute!. Allowing about 3 hrs seep time!!. Rumor on the north beach is that There have been 17 people from ems put in there retire/resign paper work since tis schedule went int effect??? Can anyone verify that???.

    • on July 27, 2012 @ 8:58 am

  • jeff says:

    Since the outer banks hospital is the largest utilizer of the helicopter at 70%+ why isn’t vidant health kicking in some funding or putting one of their helicopters here.

    I think them kicking in 500,000.00 a years sounds good to me as a taxpayer.

    • on July 28, 2012 @ 5:49 am

  • 102 says:

    Let the hospital foot the bill for the chopper as does Pitt for eastcare. The county needs to take care of business and quit trying to be the omnipotent provider. The new EMS schedule is pathetic, if you don’t want them to work a 24/48 work them 24/72, have 4 shifts. Unfortunately the “blue flu” is coming into pay

    • on July 28, 2012 @ 7:19 pm

  • eggcelent says:

    Using the annual maintenance figure provided, the purchase price of the new helo could be used to maintain the current one for 20 years.

    • on July 30, 2012 @ 9:47 am

  • OBX says:

    102 are they unhappy enough to stay away? i heard its a bad situation for the emt people

    • on August 1, 2012 @ 9:31 am

  • Tim says:

    It is ironic that staff if Dare Med Flight went to Lee County Florida to get advice from them on redesigning the flight program and now Lee Counties program has folded until they can reorganize. Makes me wonder what great advice they got and what it cost to send their staff to Florida. I also heard they were going to possibly be sending people to another service in the State of Washington. $$$$

    The story can be read here

    http://m.nbc-2.com/default.aspx?pid=2693&wnfeedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbc-2.com%2Fstory%2F19330028%2Flee-county-shuts-down-medical-helicopter-program%3Fclienttype%3Drssstory

    • on August 29, 2012 @ 12:35 pm

  • darlene andrews says:

    I think the expenses for the air ambulance will be worth because it will save many lives. And EMT should be well trained or should undergo advance training so that air ambulance will be very effective in saving lives.

    • on September 17, 2012 @ 5:46 am

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