Orcas Fire Chief Kevin O’Brien made it clear to islanders that his main priority is the safety of islanders and having numerous means of emergency transports help to make that possible.

“We want to use all the tools in the toolbox for you,” said O’Brien at a Nov. 26 community forum to provide islanders with accurate information regarding EMS transport and listen to concerns. “We want to have the most options so we can care for you the best we can.”

Lately concerns have been directed to the two air emergency providers, Airlift Northwest and Island Air Ambulance, which both provide air transport for county patients, but island residents are wondering: what is happening with the two entities and what exactly is the difference between them?

O’Brien recognized at the gathering that there is confusion regarding the services of Airlift Northwest and Island Air, but made it clear that OIFR always has and always will make medical transportation decisions based on patients’ immediate medical needs.

Other transports OIFR deploys include the Sheriff’s Boat, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security, Vessel Assist, Washington State Ferries and private vehicles.

O’Brien said that year to date OIFR has used Airlift 123 times, Island Air 40 times, the ferry four times, and twice they have used the U.S. Navy Helicopter and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Transports at a glance

Airlift Northwest is the University of Washington-affiliated emergency medical transport that uses helicopters to fly critical-care patients directly to Seattle and Bellingham hospitals. The AirCare membership for transport by Airlift Northwest helicopter costs $79 a year in Washington. Airlift Northwest also has a fixed wing aircraft.

Island Air Ambulance provides county residents and visitors with basic life support transport in an airplane between county airports and airports in Bellingham and Seattle.

Today most patients requiring air medical transport from San Juan Island fly with Island Air Ambulance, according to Larry Wall, director of critical care transport for San Juan Island EMS. The service results in no out-of-pocket costs to residents of San Juan Island, Pearl Island, Brown Island, Henry Island, Stuart Island, Johns Island and Spieden Island, which are all part of the taxing district that supports San Juan Island EMS.

There are a number of differences in equipment and services available from each program, the primary one being that Airlift Northwest helicopters fly directly to hospitals with landing pads, while fixed-wing planes must land at airports.

Individual annual membership for those who live outside of the taxing district, like Orcas residents, is $45 a year and the family annual membership is $55.

O’Brien made it clear that he is not “selling” Airlift or Island Air, but that personally he and his family have signed up for both.

“I know that if my family member had an accident and there was a chance that we could not use Airlift and had to use Medevac [Island Air] I would not want that out of pocket expense,” he said. “I want to protect my family.”

According to Airlift Northwest Director Chris Martin, in 2011 the company completed 552 missions to the county and in 2012, the number decreased to 370.

At the meeting, Airlift Northwest’s Director of Finance Cindy McFeely added that their flight volume is decreasing everywhere they fly. Despite that, she told islanders that Airlift flights are going up on Orcas from 109 in 2011 to 136 in 2013.

She made it clear that one major comparison between the two entities is that Airlift gets paid by insurance companies and Island Air gets paid by the district whether they fly or not.

Concerns

Long-time islander John Erly said he was concerned that Dr. Michael Sullivan, who is medical control for the islands (meaning he makes the final call to who flies where, when and in what) is also a ER doctor and the Emergency Medicine Department Chair at Peace Island Medical Center, where Island Air is based. Erly said that Sullivan has a conflict of interest.

Assistant Fire Chief Mik Preysz responded that he has worked with Sullivan for many years and has never seen him make a call that was not in the best interest of the patient.

Other concerns came from outer-island residents who wondered if Island Air could put Airlift Northwest out of business, leaving them with much fewer options when it comes to emergency transport.

McFeely said she could not answer that question with specifics, but that Airlift is trying everything they can to keep flying in the islands.

“We are concerned that Airlift may not be on the island someday,” said a Crane Island resident. “We depend on it.”