The exhibits opened at 9:30 this morning, so I had a somewhat late breakfast in time to make it to the opening of the exhibits hall. Following the rush of people towards several booths, I got a hold of a sturdy duffel bag from the folks at Physio, the guys behind LifePak. Above, demonstrating a method to moving a backboard up and down stairs.

An ambulance from Poland, Maine, built by Medtec.

The crowd.

A decon unit.

I was then invited to a ridealong with the Johns Hopkins STAT10 MedEvac helicopter unit located near the Inner Harbor, where I arrived at half past noon. The whole operation is inside a trailer, but what they do is nothing short from amazing and impressive.

After a preflight briefing and safety instructions, we headed out to the helicopter to check it out.

The helicopter has capacity for up to two patients, though it usually has one stretcher. The helicopter would be considered heavy with the mass of about 4 passengers and the pilot, but it’s a twin engine helicopter that can fly on just one, so it’s got a lot of thrust.

Around 6pm, we got dispatched for a call, which was announced to us in the trailer by a piercing siren. In the above shot, Justin, a nurse from JHU, closes the rear doors in preparation for take off.

By the time we land, it’s already dark, and Seth, the one blurry on the left, who had stayed behind, makes sure the helicopter is secure, while Justin, on the right, does the same.

Categories: Images, Special Report, Uncategorized
Tags: Baltimore, conference, EMS Today 2009, maryland