For most motorists, road closures and icy bridges are an inconvenience. But for police, fire and EMS agencies they are a major challenge. When icy weather was predicted for Acadian Ambulance’s service areas, the company immediately began implementing its’ emergency plan. Having served Louisiana residents for more than 42 years, Acadian is used to responding during hurricanes and heavy rains, but icy conditions are a fairly rare occurrence. In Acadian’s Lafayette, LA dispatch center, which coordinates all of the company’s Louisiana ambulance operations, the dispatch staff constantly monitors Louisiana DOTD and Louisiana State Police websites and webcams. “We have excellent cooperation and communication among local and state agencies that helps us stay updated on road closures and detours,” said Clay Henry, Acadian’s vice president of operations. “That information, coupled with constant, real-time updates from our crews in the field give us a very clear picture of the situation,” Henry added. On Friday, Acadian transported a total of 1,975 patients in their Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas services areas despite the many road and bridge closures. In addition, Acadian’s air division, Air Med, transported four patients when weather permitted. “All of the emergency transports were handled without incident, but we did reschedule some of the non-emergency and long range transports until the roadways reopen,” said Jerry Romero, president of Acadian Ambulance. “We brought in extra crews and put additional units in operation to handle the increased emergency call volume caused by the many traffic accidents that typically occur in adverse conditions. In addition, we have extra crews working today to complete the facility transfers that were delayed due yesterday’s road closures,” Romero added. With more than 400 ambulances and 2,000 medics throughout their service area, Acadian is able to move assets to areas based on increased or anticipated call volumes. “We also posted units throughout the affected areas to decrease our response times,” Henry said. “Not only do we have vast experience responding in adverse weather conditions, we also constantly refine plans and run drills to ensure we are providing optimum service,” Romero added.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 19:22:46 +0000
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