Advanced Medical Transport: January 29 & February 3, 2009

During two separate trips to Advanced Medical Transport, OLLI members were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the non-profit ambulance service. Sharon Kennedy, AMT's Director of Community Relations, led our tours, which included stops in the fleet garage, training rooms, and communications center.

AMT's corporate headquarters is located in a 30,000 square-foot facility at 1718 N. Sterling Avenue, Peoria, Illinois. The organization operates the largest ambulance fleet in Central Illinois, with 25 advanced life support ambulances and two specially equipped critical care/neonatal units.

According to Ms. Kennedy, the ambulances log approximately 750,000 miles annually. AMT purchases approximately four new ambulances each year and often donates the old ambulances to area rescue squads.

The communications center, which is equipped with a computer-aided dispatch system, receives and dispatches ambulance calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The dispatch system automatically locates the paramadic unit nearest to the scene, which results in the closest unit being dispatched within seconds of receiving a call.

Ms. Kennedy said AMT's response times to emergency scenes consistently exceed national standards for a High Performance EMS System. In urban emergencies,
AMT ambulances arrive in 5 minutes most of the time, and in less than 9 minutes at least 90% of the time.

OLLI would like to thank AMT and Ms. Kennedy for providing two highly informative tours of their facility.

For more information about Advanced Medical Transport, please visit www.advancedmedicaltransport.org.