'Community should embrace Medevac'

September 1 , 2005

EDITOR:

I would like to respond with my own letter to the editor regarding the letter that George Santulli of Basking Ridge sent to your newspaper that was published on Aug. 25.

Are you kidding me? When are all of you people going to wake up and realize that moving NorthSTAR to the Somerset Airport is to benefit people?

When are you all going to get off of your high horses and come down to earth? Earth does not revolve around Somerset Hills. This world is a cruel place and you dare question a group of highly educated people when they try to make it better.

Tell me, Mr. Santulli, what is your background in the emergency services? How much knowledge do you have in emergency medical dispatch, the "Golden Hour'' and more importantly the location of the state's trauma centers?

You said that you've "made calls" regarding the relocation of the helicopter. So for the sake of argument I am going to assume that you're an expert now.

Or, more realistically, should I assume that you have no idea what you are talking about? Because if you did you would know that there are quite a few nationally recognized Level I and Level II trauma centers located "where the population and the traffic is the greatest." Therefore, local EMS and paramedic units can quickly get these patients to the "closer trauma centers" well within the Golden Hour.

You know what that is, right? Simply put, you don't fly from the Turnpike or Parkway, Routes 1, 3, and 46 because most of the time you can be to a trauma center within a half an hour.

As far as your "crash" comment, why don't we ban all aircraft from flying over our homes? Why don't we call the FAA and tell them that "We the People of Somerset Hills" are better than everyone else in the most populated state per square mile and reroute all of the traffic in and out of Newark Liberty to Route 78 and 287.

That's a good idea. This way when some thing goes down - and it will, according to your letter - it will take out just 15 or 20 cars on a major interstate. Great idea. At least it wasn't us.or was it?

The purpose of moving the helicopter is to get advanced help to the place in the state where the Golden Hour is ticking away or gone already. It's not really meant to serve us around here. We don't need it. We can be to Morristown rather quickly. What makes the people in this area "worth more?"

What makes our time, silent skies and our peace and quiet more important that the people who don't live here?

In a time post 9/11 and during war, I would like to think that when something good comes along we, as a caring community, would embrace it. Each time that helicopter "disturbs" someone in Bedminster, Basking Ridge or Bernardsville it's going somewhere to save a life. I still don't understand why people can't accept a 45 second disturbance each time. Someday it could be you.

Mr. Santulli, I have been in the emergency services as an EMT and firefighter for almost 15 years. I work in the emergency room of one of these local trauma centers. I've been to the "roof" to get the patient and I've seen the difference it makes.

But I am far from a "genius." The geniuses are the trauma surgeons, flight nurses, flight paramedics and highly trained pilots who do this every day, the ones saving lives every day.

If the "geniuses" think that more lives could be saved by putting the Northern Shock Trauma Air Rescue helicopter in Bedminster, well then that's where it belongs. They know; they're the best at what they do.

PHIL J. ORFAN
Bernardsville

From the Courier News website: www.c-n.com