1EMSguy 5 minutes ago As a person who knows every EMS responder at that scene and had a daughter that was in the room, I can provide an unique perspective. I am not here to argue or point fingers. The short answer here is the EMS team at the scene performed to a very high standard. The decision to ground transport to PGEMC was exactly as they were trained. Airlift NW takes exceedingly long to transfer care and load patients into their helicopter. By the 25 minute mark that they were flying overhead all viable patients had already been transported off of the scene. The amount of time effort that is required to establish a landing zone requires time and staffing that were at a premium. Harborview is an outstanding Hospital with terrific staff. Their training and leadership are invaluable to this community. The severity and type of injuries these patients received were very appropriate for the Level 2 trauma center. Transfer of care by Airlift NW would have taken too long. The use of Airlift NW in Snohomish County has been steadily declining over the last 10 years, namely because it is faster and more efficient to ground transport to Harborview than wait for the length of time it tales Airlift NW to land, shut down, transfer care. special packaging by the nurses, then loading, and start up. It is true that once they in the air, it is a short ride, but the entire process is simply too long. The hospital and staff at Providence ER performed at a very high level and provided excellent care. A great number of the doctors and staff at Providence have worked at, or continue to work at Harborview. The Monday morning quarterbacking being displayed by this article is disheartening and disappointing. While I am glad that Harborview was prepared to take patients, I am surprised that they chose to interject where they are not needed. The men and women that responded to this tragic scene and provided care to the wounded were able to put aside their feelings make a difference in the lives of the community that they care about. I am dismayed by the comments from people how have limited knowledge and context of this scene. I understand the reporters desire to pump up a story, that is her job, as distasteful as it may be. But medical professionals need to remain just that, professionals.
the ravennaboy 12 hours agoTwo key points emerged from this article that should lead us all to question whether "the children's lives" were the primary consideration:
1. Dr. Eric Cooper, an employee doctor at Providence, is also the head of Snohomish EMS who made the decision to reject the air ambulances and send the kids to Providence, which was close, but not a LEVEL 1 Facility. He had a self-interest in getting the victims to "his hospital", and he has refused to comment on why he rejected the air ambulances.
2. The Air Ambulance service was managed by UW Medicine, who also manages Harborview, so they had a vested interest in transporting kids to Harborview. They had a vested interest in getting the victims to Harborview.
It is clear that the decision were made based on something other than getting the best possible care for the victims, since Harborview was the superior hospital, and the helicopters were the best chance to move the victims to ANY HOSPITAL.
Too bad that this will most likely be covered up, and no one will be accountable for poor decision making that may have led to death.