We are pretty spoiled when it comes to the geography we work in. Within our service area are places like Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands to name a few. This is the most breathtaking scenery in the country and some of the most dangerous. The following picture is a link to a newspaper article that reports Lake Powell as the second most dangerous recreation area in the United States (click on the picture to see and read the full size article).
This area of the country is very rugged and sparsely populated. The nearest Level 1 Trauma Center is usually at least a one hour flight. Many things are considered when deciding where to take a patient: flight time, extent of illness or injury, where the patient lives, and closest facility with appropriate services to meet the patients needs.
The following are cities we commonly fly to when transporting patients:
Arizona: Page, Flagstaff and occasionally Phoenix area
Utah: St. George, Price, Moab, Provo and Salt Lake City
Colorado: Grand Junction and Cortez
New Mexico: Farmington and occasionally Albuquerque
Nevada: on rare occasions we will fly to Las Vegas
One important item the crews are advised to bring with them for shifts is a camera! On our way home from missions we often fly over some amazing country that few people get to see the way we do.
