Report Title:

Hawaii County; Aeromedical Emergency Personnel; Grant-in-Aid

Description:

Appropriates funds as a grant-in-aid to Hawaii county for dedicated emergency medical service personnel to staff the aeromedical helicopter unit on the island of Hawaii. (HB2526 HD2)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2526

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

H.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

making an appropriation as a grant-in-aid to the county of hawaii for emergency medical service personnel to staff the aeromedical helicopter unit.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the current practice of staffing the aeromedical helicopter unit on the island of Hawaii by using ground ambulance personnel reduces operational effectiveness and safety by:

(1) Reducing the number of available ground ambulance units assessed and deemed necessary to effectively serve a given community or geographic area. The current practice of using the South Kohala ambulance unit as the primary coverage unit and Waikoloa as the secondary coverage unit has a direct effect on the delivery of ambulance services to residents and visitors of those respective communities. Although this same effect may be experienced with daily emergency medical services operations, it would be minimized through the use of a dedicated aeromedical crew;

(2) Extending the out-of-service time for the respective ground ambulance units involved in the mission through the staffing of the helicopter;

(3) Reducing quality and effective patient care by using personnel who are unfamiliar or less familiar with the equipment and operations of the helicopter unit. This includes but is not limited to:

(A) Flight physiology;

(B) Patient loading and extrication;

(C) Specialized treatment modalities and practices;

(D) Space and altitude limitations; and

(E) Aircraft performance limitations;

(4) Using personnel who are unfamiliar or less familiar with the equipment and operations of the helicopter unit. This includes but is not limited to:

(A) Radio and communications equipment;

(B) Aircraft lighting;

(C) Compartment latch and security mechanisms;

(D) Emergency evacuation and shut-down procedures;

(E) Flight following; and

(F) Scene operations and safety;

(5) Using personnel who are uncomfortable with or psychologically and physiologically affected by helicopter flight and operations;

(6) Using personnel who may have physical characteristics, such as height and weight, that limit performance or operations; and

(7) Operating with limited availability of personal protective equipment, such as flight suits and helmets.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to reestablish the practice of employing emergency medical service personnel who are dedicated to staff the aeromedical helicopter unit on the island of Hawaii, and thereby maximize operational effectiveness and operational safety.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007 as a grant-in-aid to the county of Hawaii for dedicated emergency medical service personnel to staff the aeromedical helicopter unit on the island of Hawaii.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the county of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.