Mayes County debates air, ground routes for ambulances.

If you have to get to the hospital in a hurry, is it faster to get there by air or on the ground? Directors with Mayes County's Ambulance service put that question to the the test and came up with

Sunday, November 17th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

If you have to get to the hospital in a hurry, is it faster to get there by air or on the ground? Directors with Mayes County's Ambulance service put that question to the the test and came up with some surprising information.

News on Six Reporter Patrina Adger foundout that sometimes ground transportation is faster.

Kenny Peery, Director of Mayes County Emergency Services says, "Unless you have extenuating circumstances, its' quicker to take them by ground."

That's according to a two-year study MES-TA director Peery says he conducted comparing flight times of air transport versus ground. Peery says out of the 180 flights surveyed, he concluded that in most cases MES-TA could beat AirEvac and Life Flight to Tulsa hospitals by 23 minutes.

Crucial minutes when it comes to life or death.

"If we've shown by study and the study confirms national standards of care that it is quicker to take them by ground and you call an aircraft, that leaves us liable for your condition," he said

Peery says the only exceptions to the new emergency protocol would be poor road conditions or car extrications taking longer than 20 minutes. He says the patient whether flown or driven would get the same care.

But in trauma situations, he says only surgery saves lives, and getting those patients to the closest trauma facility in the quickest time is of upmost importance.

" We're medical professionals taking care of you and we're responsible to make the best decision on your behalf."

The other big difference between air and ground transportation is the price.
The cost of to transport by air costs about $6,000 compared to 1,500 for a ground ambulance.