Like the Navy, people are a huge cost driver for a state government. When you factor in the cost of benefits (especially medical and pension) for all the state employees associated with MD's model of operations and the upfront cost of purchase this isn't a sound financial descision, it is more about pride or some other factor.
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Maryland State Police will fly AW139s
- Thread starter Heloanjin
- Start date
The Maryland trauma system is a single system split into different regions with associated trauma centers and helicopter bases along with specialized trauma centers where patients go for certain injuries such as burns, neurological, etc. and centers that specialize in pediatrics. A single unit flying in support of this system is the one that has made the most sense for most involved in the system. Some links on the Maryland Trauma system:
http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=1066660
http://www.miemss.org/home/Hospitals/TraumaCenters/tabid/131/Default.aspx
In the short term contractors might be cheaper but that is not always the case in the long term. The yearly cost of a contractor is often more than a government employee but it is offset by the long term benefit of not having them on your rolls when they retire. However, that cost can add up in the longer term and will end up costing you more than the government employee if kept for more than a few years. I have seen the contractors cost 2.5 times more a year than a civil servant doing the exact same work, after more than a few years the cost savings are no longer there. Especially in the case of a program like Maryland's, where the helos aren't going away anytime soon. Maryland has moved towards saving money on it's aircrew, pilots are no longer hired as state troopers though the medics are still troopers.
The State of MD decided it was worth the cost to ensure residents have timely access to Shock Trauma treatment, whether they are from Montgomery County (one of the wealthiest in the nation) or Allegheny County (Appalachia...nuff said).
Whether a company would be willing to provide coverage to the level set by the Troopers for the less affluent areas would be a point of contention; in the end, if they weren't willing to cover the whole state, the Troopers would still have to operate a smaller fleet of helos to cover the less than profitable areas. This is one use of taxpayer money that seems to actually make sense, at least in my mind.
We could probably hire some pretty sweet mercs for less than what it costs us to run the US Navy to keep the SLOCs open, but somewhere along the way, we decided trusting the free market to provide for the Nation's defense didn't make sense. Same idea with MD and their Medivac Helos.
By the way, the new paint scheme sucks compared to the OD Dauphins.
Yeah, I'm sure it's a great program. It should be, for what it costs. Plus ... if things don't pay for themselves, you can alway$ just rai$e taxe$ to cover any $$$$ $hortfall$. $weet deal, or what ...
If the good folks of MD have bought into the 'if it saves JUST ONE LIFE it's worth it' argument, then they've bought into a false argument. One life saved does NOT justify the ongoing cost of a gold-plated airborne ambulance service (or anything else, for that matter), otherwise every jurisdiction across the USA would have taxpayer funded HELO AIREVAC. People live & die every day -- with it or without it. But in civvie-street, it does make for a good monument to some politician's vanity and probably buys votes.
Or ... conversely ... when are enough taxe$ ... enough??? You know ... if it 'saves just one more life ... ' we should be willin' to give it all, shouldn't we ???
You merc example in national defense was ridiculous. Defending the shores and our overseas lifelines vs. getting someone from a traffic accident to a hospital expeditiously are not even remotely equivalent. Actually, most of the trigger-puller contracts I'm aware of are MORE expensive than using G.I. Joe to plug a hole in the dike.
And how 'bout 'Duty, Honor, and Country'??? That's always been good enough for me to raise my right hand and pay the equivalent of a Starbucks a day in extra taxes ... as long as that's what it goes for ... mercs, however, need not apply, unless we lose the national will to defend our country and protect our overseas interests.
But then I'm a dinosaur ... I still believe in the draft.
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
Flash makes it out to seem that the MD State Police are the only MEDEVAC assets in the state. They're not. I interviewed with one of the chief pilots of a civilian company (albeit briefly, I didn't have the hours - but he was a retired reserve Phrog guy so we ended up talking about a lot more than just that job. He still emails me flying jobs). The MD State Police hires civilians to be their pilots, as Flash mentioned - and their pay is on par with civilian MEDEVAC operators. If you listen to/read the tapes from the recent MD State Police mishap (the first mishap since '86-ish), that pilot was sold down the river by the controller. So, I think their safety record speaks for itself.
No matter how much you argue it (a jet guy arguing about helo stuff? Did I just enter the Twilight Zone?), the people of Maryland are willing to pay exorbitant taxes (I did), so that they can be guaranteed that if it is needed, a helicopter will land and pick them up - and take them to one of the numerous trauma sites in Maryland. I hate to say it - but if I was hit by a drunk driver and was pretty fucked up, I'd be willing to pay extra taxes to ensure that I could survive and live to see my wife for a couple of more years.
Not to mention - who knows how many Marines' lives were saved by the Shock Trauma system. Why do I say this? Doc Jaddick, the Battalion Surgeon for 1/8 during Fallujah learned most of his tips & tricks while working in Johns Hopkins...
No matter how much you argue it (a jet guy arguing about helo stuff? Did I just enter the Twilight Zone?), the people of Maryland are willing to pay exorbitant taxes (I did), so that they can be guaranteed that if it is needed, a helicopter will land and pick them up - and take them to one of the numerous trauma sites in Maryland. I hate to say it - but if I was hit by a drunk driver and was pretty fucked up, I'd be willing to pay extra taxes to ensure that I could survive and live to see my wife for a couple of more years.
Not to mention - who knows how many Marines' lives were saved by the Shock Trauma system. Why do I say this? Doc Jaddick, the Battalion Surgeon for 1/8 during Fallujah learned most of his tips & tricks while working in Johns Hopkins...
The price I saw on the delivery documents for the HH-60Ms I delivered showed the cost tobe about $13 mil each. This included all of the gear except some of the ASE equipment. The HH-60M can carry six litter patients, two crew or medics,plus two ambulatory.
It's my understanding that the 60 is quite a bit higher in O & M costs, but I could be wrong. I'd also bet there was some form of maintenance included in the contract.
Although, I'm sure the state SWAT team would be overjoying at getting a Hawk.
I don't think many residents of Maryland are displeased with the MSP aviation wing, I know my parents like it.
Although, I'm sure the state SWAT team would be overjoying at getting a Hawk.
I don't think many residents of Maryland are displeased with the MSP aviation wing, I know my parents like it.
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
I do too, especially if I ever move back and finally have the hours (the fact that I just got a call from my squadron on the boat asking me to help them get the aircraft off the boat will help), I'd love to fly for them. I'd argue that most Marylanders (after living there for the largest portion of my life - 21 years) are more than just not displeased. It's a source of pride, and they're willing to pay for it. That's democracy if you ask me. I'd bet if you put it on the ballot today - >75% of Maryland citizens would vote to raise taxes to keep the MSP Aviation Command alive and well.
To clarify my earlier post (in response to Flash's rep comment) - the civilian MEDEVAC guys throughout the state are not officially part of the Maryland State Trauma system. They fill the gaps that the MSP can't (because a Trooper base is too far away), or increase response times (75% of the MSP's sorties are for MEDEVAC, the other 25% are airborne law enforcement). If the MSP is engage in a LEO mission, the contract MEDEVAC crew launches. When they launch, they essentially become part of the trauma system, if that makes sense. (Of course, this is second hand - I've never flown in it, but I have to rely on what the chief pilot said - and I've got a funny story about how I ended up in his office shooting the shit about reserves & Phrogs for some other time)
Most ambulances are a part of a local FD. FDs are a county function. Contract ambulances are usually used for non life threatening medical transfer.
Thank you for the reply. My employer (a SoCal County) contracted out its FD and Ambulance (ALS and BLS) service. The FD is contracted with the State and the Ambulance is contracted to a private corporation (American Medical Response). But these are recent developments (within the last 20 years), before that the County ran its own fire and ambulance, hired the people, bought the equipment etc.. The AIREVAC out here is privatized as well. Good on MD for keeping it "in house".
There are private HEMS operators in MD. They fly primarily interhospital transfer. They do pick up the occasional scene medevac when a MD State Police helicopter is not available or too far away.
Perhaps a private company could provide the service more cheaply. But the MD system provides medevac coverage for the entire state, including sparsely poplulated areas that have a low call volume. Every resident of MD gets the same service. In addition, the MD State Police helicopter flys police, homeland security, and SAR missions, something the private companies do not provide.
Perhaps a private company could provide the service more cheaply. But the MD system provides medevac coverage for the entire state, including sparsely poplulated areas that have a low call volume. Every resident of MD gets the same service. In addition, the MD State Police helicopter flys police, homeland security, and SAR missions, something the private companies do not provide.