TAMPA, Fla. — When a K-9 officer is hurt in the line of duty, every second counts — just like it does for their human partners. Now, Tampa General Hospital is making sure those four-legged heroes get emergency air transport, too. TGH is the first in the state, and the fourth in the nation, to do this with its Aeromed helicopters and flight crews.
What You Need To Know
Tampa General Hospital is making sure four-legged heroes get emergency air transport
TGH is the first in the state, and the fourth in the nation, to do this with its Aeromed helicopters and flight crews
Aeromed’s mission is to respond to the sick and injured when called upon
All the crews have been trained on advanced life support for K-9s and they say it’s actually not all that different from humans.
Aeromed’s mission is to respond to the sick and injured when called upon, and that now includes K-9s injured in the line of duty, like Hero.
“You have to treat them like furry toddlers because they can’t tell you what’s wrong, so learning how to care for them is very similar, but it’s also very different,” said Donny Richardson, an Aeromed flight nurse.
Hero is a K-9 simulator that Aeromed flight nurses and flight medics use for training. He bleeds, breathes and even has a heartbeat.
“These are going to be calls we get maybe once a year so to be able to access this and provide that realism to our internal employees makes it so that when we actually do this for the first time, it’s not as scary,” said James Huston, an Aeromed flight paramedic.
Richardson helped launch the Aeromed K-9 Care and Transport program. He says the military has a similar program, and after researching, he found the state statute that allows it for K-9 officers, too, so he enlisted the help of Dr. Devon Diaz with Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch.
“They went out and got our K-9 TCC training, which is the military equivalent to what we’re trying to do in the civilian world at this point. It’s providing care to our K-9 officers at time of injury and then it’s that care in transit to a veterinary hospital for more definitive care,” said Diaz.
Diaz provided video of one of the first training simulations they did in Manatee County. Aeromed picked up K-9 Hero and flew him to the veterinary hospital where staff was on standby, practicing a full emergency response.
“This is truly taking the expertise of these nurses as well as paramedics and translating their skills into our working K-9 officers to give them the best chance to have a good, successful life afterwards,” said Diaz.
Richardson says all Aeromed flight crews are trained and prepared to handle K-9 emergencies, and no matter how many legs they walk on, they’re treated with the same respect and care.
“Most law enforcement agencies, when you look at the handler, this is his partner. This partner is willing to give his life for that handler, so why should we not take care of them just like we do the two-legged folks,” he said.
In addition to training the flight crews, Richardson also teaches first responders across the state basic K-9 life support, and advanced K-9 life support, depending on their roles.
The TGH Foundation provided the funding to purchase two K-9 simulators. They say each costs about $30,000.