Last summer, members of the Tri-Community Advanced Life Support System, which includes Croton Emergency Medical Services, the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department, and the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps, stopped by Phelps Memorial Hospital Center to thank Phelps for the two new “fly cars” the hospital donated to the system at a cost of $83,703.
A fly car is a rapid response Emergency Medical Services vehicle featuring advanced life support equipment that usually arrives at the scene of a medical emergency before the ambulance. According to Emil Nigro, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine at Phelps, the fly car, which is staffed with a paramedic and sometimes an EMT, “brings the ER to the patient.” A paramedic can provide lifesaving modalities on the scene of a medical emergency, including IV fluids, cardiac interventions and medication, and advanced airways (intubations). The speed of a fly car can significantly impact outcomes in life-threatening emergencies. “Many lives have been helped and quite a few saved because of fly cars,” says Dr. Nigro.
Years ago Phelps formed a partnership with the villages of Croton-On- Hudson and Briarcliff Manor and the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which staffs and manages the Tri-Community ALS system. Phelps has donated a total of six fly cars since 1995. The money donated for the vehicles comes from a special fund created to support ambulance services.
“The partnership that the Tri-Community ALS system has with Phelps continues to allow the residents of Croton-on- Hudson, Briarcliff Manor and Ossining to have high-quality advanced life support at a reasonable cost,” says Nick Franzoso, captain of the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
