Vanderbilt LifeFlight is expanding its ground ambulance and critical care interfacility transport capability to Montgomery County, Tennessee, and will be adding a base of operations there, along with two ground ambulances.

Some 40 new full-time personnel will be hired as part of the expansion, including advanced emergency medical technicians, paramedics, critical care paramedics, critical care nurses, communicators and administrative support. The ambulances will focus on high-acuity interfacility transfers and are not part of the Montgomery County 911 EMS response system.

"We are excited to be able to provide ground ambulance support for Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville and look forward to being a part of the Montgomery County community," said Michael Wallace, MBA, CCPM, NRP, director, Vanderbilt LifeFlight Ground Transport, Event Medicine, and Communications.

Two ground ambulances will be staffed around-the-clock, seven days a week, to assist with interfacility transports from Tennova ER- Sango and Tennova Healthcare- Clarksville to other hospitals. These ambulances will be staffed with an advanced emergency medical technician and a paramedic.

One 12-hour critical care ground ambulance will be added to the existing critical care transport team in Nashville, which will help enhance capabilities across the region including support for transports from Clarksville to larger tertiary care facilities in Nashville. This highly specialized ambulance will have a three-member team, consisting of an advanced emergency medical technician, a critical care paramedic and a critical care nurse.

"Vanderbilt LifeFlight will add five full time communicators to its transport coordination center to enhance 24/7 communications with the ambulance fleet and centralize the coordination and dispatch of all requests, further enhancing patient safety and customer service," Wallace explained.

Vanderbilt LifeFlight also maintains a life-saving helicopter in Clarksville at Outlaw Field Airport, which is staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week. The critical care ground ambulances will be able to provide backup transport for the helicopter on days that the weather prohibits flying. LifeFlight also has an ambulance base in Wilson County to service Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and has ambulances in Nashville servicing Vanderbilt Adult Hospital.

Montgomery County EMS Director/Montgomery County EMS Chief Bill Webb, BS, EMT-P, said he welcomed the additional ambulances to help manage the large volume of interfacility transfers that are made from Tennova Clarksville to Nashville hospitals.

"Our 911 volume has grown to a point that we welcome the additional resources to assist with these interfacility hospital transfers," Webb said. "We already have another private ambulance provider that is licensed by the county to operate here and we looked forward to welcoming Vanderbilt LifeFlight's ground EMS operations."

Vanderbilt LifeFlight's air operations are provided by Air Methods Corporation. All ground EMS and medical services are provided by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.