The risky side of response. Increasing fatalities underscore the need for reconciled safety practices of ground & air ambulances.

It’s 1 a.m. in a rural county surrounding a mid-size American city. A sport utility vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver crosses the median and strikes a car head on, immediately killing the car’s driver and seriously injuring her husband, the passenger. A local volunteer firefighter witnesses the accident and calls it in, triggering a full response to include a paramedic ambulance from the county service and a helicopter headquartered in the region. Help is on the way. The scenario just described could have happened in any number of communities across the United States. Likely, the EMS personnel would arrive on scene by ground first and stabilize surviving patients for transport. Then, the air medical provider would arrive, continue the care and expedite transport by air to the local trauma center. The public would expect nothing less. Right?