Benefits of having a Pafford Air One membership explained at Senior Circle
EL DORADO — Pafford Air One Marketing Coordinator, Starlyn Smith and Flight Paramedic Tom Wilson spoke to the Senior Circle about the benefits of emergency helicopters on Wednesday, June 7.
When the lunch concluded, the members were given the opportunity to tour one of Pafford’s helicopters.
Wilson works for ProMed Ambulance Service, primarily in El Dorado/Union County as a ground paramedic, as well as being a flight paramedic for Pafford Air One, located in Ruston, Louisiana. “The two jobs kind of coincide with each other,” Wilson said. “Pafford Air One works very close with ProMed Ambulance Service in Union County.”
When an emergency occurs, once the ambulance arrives on the scene and accesses the situation, then the helicopter can come in and actually transport that patient to a specialty care center, if necessary.
The two emergency services have the same role, one is just a little faster than the other, Wilson said.
For example, the closest level one trauma center is located in Little Rock. By ground, this could be a two hour trip, but by air, it takes about 45 minutes from El Dorado.
The helicopter maintains an altitude of at least 1,000 to 1,500 ft. during the day and around 2,000 at night. There is little effect on a person with a brain injury where swelling may occur when the helicopter is below 5,000 ft.
The helicopter typically flies in a straight path, hardly ever deviating from the straight line. Wilson compared it to a highway in the sky.
If you have an emergency, it’s best for you to call 911 and let them take care of everything else, Wilson said.
One problem that helicopters have is they cannot fly in the rain. “We don’t have windshield wipers on the helicopter, we cannot fly in the rain and we can’t fly in the fog,” Wilson said. “If we can’t see the group, we can’t take off and that’s a safety issue. If we can’t get to the scene safely, we’re not doing that patient any good because we can’t get that patient to the hospital in definitive care in Little Rock.”
Helicopters burn on fuel, and can be limited by fuel, which means they can only fly certain distances. There is no weight limit on a Pafford Air One helicopter. “We are limited by certain things on the aircraft, but we make up for it with the amount of equipment that we have on the aircraft and the capabilities that we have on the aircraft as well,” Wilson said.
Pilots can only fly for 12 hour shifts, which is a safety rule. The pilot’s job is to get the aircraft from point A to point B. The pilots are not included in specific information for safety reasons. “If they tell a pilot a specific case, let’s say it’s a pediatric patient that’s been burned and the weather is questionable outside. If the pilot hears that over the radio, what do you think he’s going to do?” Wilson said. “He’s going to go, regardless of the
safety situation. He may make a bad decision that could affect five people.”
Pilots are only able to fly for 12 hour shifts at a time, although they work 24 hour shifts. This is also a safety issue, Wilson said.
Starylin Smith spoke about Pafford Air One’s membership. “Obviously we’re not the only air medical helicopter that services this area, but from what i’ve been told, we are the one that’s used most often,” Smith said. “We fly a 407 so we fly faster and if you have a family member that has a child that’s injured, we can also fly the parent along with them.”
Pafford Air One is the largest family owned ambulance service in the United States and have an ambulance service that covers four states including Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
A Pafford Air One membership is $60 a year regardless if it’s for a single person or a family. For the family package, it covers husband, wife and children under the age of 21 living at home or away for college. The membership expires January of every year.
How the membership works is if you have to use the helicopter, the company will write off the rest of the payment that your insurance does not cover. “A bill could be $25,000 to $30,000. If you’re not a member, you’re responsible for the remainder of that bill,” Smith said. “If you’re a member, and your insurance pays $3,000, we’re going to write off the rest. You’re not going to have a bill.”
The membership must be in effect for 24 hours before you can use it.
Smith suggests you go to your local hospital and find out what flight service they call first and second and get memberships for both. “There is no guarantee that you’re going to get the one you have the membership with,” she said.
She compared the helicopter as not a flying ambulance, but a flying ICU, being very advanced.
“It’s not an insurance policy, it’s a peace of mind,” Smith said. “Hopefully you’ll never need us, but if you do, you don’t have to worry about having that bill that you’re going to have to pay on for the rest of your life.”
You can contact Pafford Air One’s business office at 1-800-451-8036. Their website is www.paffordairone.com.
Kaitlyn Rigdon is a staff writer at the El Dorado News-Times and she may be reached at 870-8626611 or by email, krigdon@eldoradonews.com.