MD Fly cars

[Aurora013]

We were talking at work one day, and the subject of fly cars manned by doctors instead of medics came up. Somebody was saying that certain states have them. I was just wondering if anybody knew if this was actually true, and if so which states support this. I'm currently applying for medical school, am currently leaning towards staying in emergency medicine, but don't want to be just restricted to the ER- there's nothing that can match actually being in the field (regardless of what happens, I'll still be vollying!).

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[OSUdoc08]

We were talking at work one day, and the subject of fly cars manned by doctors instead of medics came up. Somebody was saying that certain states have them. I was just wondering if anybody knew if this was actually true, and if so which states support this. I'm currently applying for medical school, am currently leaning towards staying in emergency medicine, but don't want to be just restricted to the ER- there's nothing that can match actually being in the field (regardless of what happens, I'll still be vollying!).

What is a fly car?

 

[Aurora013]

What is a fly car?

P.S. I think your post should read MD/DO fly cars.

My apologies for that. A fly car is a single person response vehicle that is fully stocked with all the supplies necessary to provide patient care. It is most typically used when a BLS agency requires ALS intercept, and instead of tying up an entire ambulance, you have just the single person respond.

 

[OSUdoc08]

My apologies for that. A fly car is a single person response vehicle that is fully stocked with all the supplies necessary to provide patient care. It is most typically used when a BLS agency requires ALS intercept, and instead of tying up an entire ambulance, you have just the single person respond.

Yeah, I know a family practice doc that does that in a small town. His is a truck though, with flashy lights.

He has no life and thinks he is still a paramedic.

 

[southerndoc]

Yale operates a physician fly car where attendings, EMS fellows, and select senior residents take call. It's part of the Sponsor Hospital Area Response Physician (aka SHARP team). We average 2-3 callouts weekly, but are encouraged to respond to calls as we choose (i.e., observation of the paramedics, QA/QI, assistance, etc.). The fly car is a fully stocked and licensed ALS response vehicle that has a 12-lead monitor/defibrillator, drugs (including paralytics), oxygen, etc. available. See www.yalesurgery.org/em/residency/ems.html for more information. (We got a new vehicle this year: a new Explorer.)

Several places have physician fly cars. Univ of Pittsburgh, Carolinas Medical Center, Emory, Vanderbilt, etc. Basically any place with an EMS fellowship has a physician fly car. Some places only have a car for the medical director, others rotate call, etc.

 

[12R34Y]

It's more common that OSUdoc thinks it is.

All the services I've worked with have response capability from the medical director. they have a radio call sign and respond at will.

i think fly cars are cool. definately will look into this in 2.9 years after my EM residency wherever I'm medical directing.

later

 

[OSUdoc08]

It's more common that OSUdoc thinks it is.

All the services I've worked with have response capability from the medical director. they have a radio call sign and respond at will.

i think fly cars are cool. definately will look into this in 2.9 years after my EM residency wherever I'm medical directing.

later

The term "fly car" isn't really used in the south central US.

It doesn't really make much sense to me since they respond in SUV's anyway.

How about we call it "Fly SUV?"

 

[sentrosi]

It's true. Some systems have MDs on call/duty to go out to scenes. I think EMS magazine recently had an article about it.

Obviously, it's probably not well suited for services with short transport times. I think it is mostly for systems that cover areas with hospitals far spaced out and/or for calls that have long on scene times (like say a complicated MVA where the patient is trapped in the vehicle).

 

[southerndoc]

It's true. Some systems have MDs on call/duty to go out to scenes. I think EMS magazine recently had an article about it.

Obviously, it's probably not well suited for services with short transport times. I think it is mostly for systems that cover areas with hospitals far spaced out and/or for calls that have long on scene times (like say a complicated MVA where the patient is trapped in the vehicle).

The term probably originated in the New England area, where ambulances are called cars. Even Freightliner ambulances are referred to as cars.

 

[sentrosi]

Um...we usually call them "trucks" actually. Or at least we do now. I haven't ever heard anyone refer to them as "car".

 

[OSUdoc08]

The term probably originated in the New England area, where ambulances are called cars. Even Freightliner ambulances are referred to as cars.

This is why I've never been to New England.

People are just odd up there.

 

[southerndoc]

Um...we usually call them "trucks" actually. Or at least we do now. I haven't ever heard anyone refer to them as "car".

Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont for sure. I've heard some from Western Mass say the same. Not sure about the Boston area.

 

[12R34Y]

Worked with some people form NYC EMS and they are always referred to as a "bus".

Here in the midwest we refer to them as "trucks" or "units" at least in my area.

We could call them "fly units" or maybe "magical flying super monkey trucks."

later

 

[OSUdoc08]

Worked with some people form NYC EMS and they are always referred to as a "bus".

Here in the midwest we refer to them as "trucks" or "units" at least in my area.

We could call them "fly units" or maybe "magical flying super monkey trucks."

later

Very odd.

I knew they called it that from watching Third Watch, but I never could figure out why.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont for sure. I've heard some from Western Mass say the same. Not sure about the Boston area.

For the Boston area, wouldn't it be more along the lines of "Cah"?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

We call them "squads" or "rigs" here. Not sure why squads.....but if it's a non-ALS unit it's "Squad ##"

 

[leviathan]

Um...we usually call them "trucks" actually. Or at least we do now. I haven't ever heard anyone refer to them as "car".

We refer to them as cars in BC.

 

[OSUdoc08]

In the south central US, it's a "truck."

This makes sense when you realize that the ambulance is actually on a truck chassis.

 

[greytmedic]

In Illinois, we call an ambulance a bus or a box. I also like the term cabulance.

 

[Apollyon]

In the south central US, it's a "truck."

This makes sense when you realize that the ambulance is actually on a truck chassis.

I think you're perseverating on a minor point.

Trying to figure out why something is called a "fly car" is trivial.

Bus, truck, car, rig, unit, box, squad - all terms I've heard.

One guy I know that was NYC*EMS said they called it a "bus" because that's what it was - transporting people (not patients) from one point to another.

One company I worked for called them "cars", and another (competitor) called them "trucks". Even though they were Ford vans to start, no one ever called it a "van" (which is even more logical than "trucks").

A word is used, then inertia and tradition gets everyone else using it. Saying any word is "odd" is as arbitrary as anyone else saying it - none hold any water.

"Fly car" is ubiquitous in the northeast (which is MUCH more populous than any other part of the US - California is a contender, but, in the south and midwest, outside the cities, there's essentially no one).

 

[Pose]

Not called cars in MA or NH for as long I've lived here...Off and on for years. Never through my EMT class, or during my working (currently) at a busy ED. It's rig, truck, or bus.

 

[a_ditchdoc]

In the southeast, we call them a rig, unit, truck, and occasionally, "Blue Star Taxi." We call our "Fly Cars" chase vehicles or QRV's (Quick Respone Vehicles).

 

[southerndoc]

For the Boston area, wouldn't it be more along the lines of "Cah"?

Yea, they pahk theh cahs in the Hahvad yahd.

 

[Apollyon]

The plural of 'anecdote' is NOT 'data'.

Just because it's what you've "always heard" doesn't make it any more than anecdote.

 

[Pose]

Everything is anecdotal. I believe we're talking commonplace here. If the majority of people call it X, and a minority Y, I believe it's safe to say X for a generalized population. Flawed or not.

 

[Apollyon]

Everything is anecdotal. I believe we're talking commonplace here. If the majority of people call it X, and a minority Y, I believe it's safe to say X for a generalized population. Flawed or not.

But, see, that's where I disagree - your implication is that it is the same all over New Hamshire and Massachusetts, whereas, in my town, our fire company and the one that bordered us (and there were 9 fire companies for a town of 45K) used different terminology (they just to be different or "unique" in the town/mimicking NYC). I cannot begin to speak for what they would say in Rochester or Syracuse (over the same area as NH to MA) - it's not generalizable.

 

[Pose]

Oh, I agree with you disagreeing with what I originally said. I meant in my region of NH and MA.

I'm not sure where I got that you, or someone else, meant my area. Perhaps because it's so overpopulated. Or because I've lived in Massachusetts for too long.

 

[24IdaFire]

We call them "Docs in a box" in my part of michigan.

 

[tkim]

In Boston they're called non-transport units - usually a SUV of some flavor. In CT I've heard them called fly cars, because a lot of the times they are tricked out Crown Vics, which makes the term more appropriate. The non-transport I worked on had two medics, while down south I've heard just one medic.

 

[psychbender]

Our regional OMD has a responder from his home agency that he uses to respond to calls there. He's a very aggressive medical director, and gave a lot of advanced (for our region) protocols for his home agency before becoming the regional OMD.