Superior Ambulance Superior Ambulance

    Superior Ambulance

    The first private ambulance service in DuPage County, IL, Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service, Inc. was named after the service level its founders intended to provide all patients. Fifty years later, Superior has grown to offer patients and municipalities many services within the EMS industry. Superior offers ground and air transport for a vast variety of patient needs, including but not limited to Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support, Critical Care Transport and Bariatric Transport.

Superior Air Med

 

To request air or ground Critical Care Transport, call:

Illinois 630-832-2000

Indiana 219-736-7400

 

The Flight Team is available 24/7

 

Services We Provide

We transport adult, pediatric, and infant patients (>2.5 kg).

Superior Air Med provides transport of critically ill and injured patients, including:

  • Transfers to higher levels of care (ER to ICU, Floor to ICU, ICU to ICU):
    • Trauma
    • Neurological
    • Cardiovascular
    • Respiratory
    • Medical
    • Transplant Services
    • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Scene Responses, transports to ERs

The Flight Team can provide a variety of patient care services including:

  • Advanced patient assessment
  • Cardiac monitoring
  • Airway management including medication-assisted intubation with paralytics, video laryngoscopy
  • Ventilator management
  • CPAP/BIPAP
  • Advanced pharmacology
  • IV Pump management and medication titration
  • Blood product administration
  • Central line access and maintenance
  • Femoral sheath maintenance
  • Chest tube management
  • Doppler assessment
  • Ventricular assist device management (LVAD, RVAD, BiVAD, PVAD)
  • Invasive hemodynamic monitoring (Arterial Line, CVP, PAP/Swan Ganz Catheter)
  • Transcutaneous, transvenous, and epicardial pacing
  • Intra-aortic balloon pump management
  • Impella management
  • ECMO transport *with facility equipment, perfusionist
  • External ventricular drain management
  • Intracranial pressure monitoring
  • Continuous bladder irrigation

 

Tips for preparing a patient for an Expedited Transfer

  • Secure an airway if the patient’s condition is expected to deteriorate
  • Obtain vascular access - preferably at least two IV sites
  • Stop & remove infusions that will not be continued during transport
  • Keep the patient in a hospital gown, but keep them warm!
  • Make an extra copy of the Face Sheet
  • Complete a Physician Certification Statement (PCS) or equivalent
  • Ensure the chart copy (including labs) and films are ready to go
  • Be prepared to give a brief report including history, medications, allergies, interventions performed, radiology/lab results, and any physician orders for the trip

 

Our Team

The Flight Team is staffed by Critical Care / Flight Paramedics and Critical Care Transport / Flight Nurses. Flight Paramedics have at least 3 years ALS experience and have completed a university-accredited critical care training program (CCEMTP, CCP). Flight Nurses have at least 3 years of critical care experience. All staff participate in an ongoing education plan to remain current in standards of care, are expected to obtain board certification (Certified Flight Paramedic or Certified Flight Nurse), and are certified in ACLS, PALS, NRP, and Trauma.

Ground vehicles are operated by Superior Ambulance EMTs and Paramedics, and helicopters are operated by EMS Pilots with IFR (instrument flight) ratings and thousands of hours of experience.

Our Service Area

Helicopters are operated by Pentastar Aviation. Pilots are Instrument-certified for IFR operations and have thousands of hours of experience. Our typical range is 250 miles one-way, although long distance transports can be facilitated.

We have two helicopters in Illinois based at DuPage Airport (West Chicago, IL) and Kankakee Airport (Kankakee, IL) serving Chicago, the surrounding communities, and northwest Indiana.

Every flight base has an ambulance and the flight team is available to respond by ground when flight is not an option.

Our Fleet

Our flight program is available for requests in Illinois and Indiana.

Our flight program is committed to safety and meets or exceeds FAA/NTSB safety recommendations:

  • Twin Pratt & Whitney Engines
  • Fenestron Enclosed Tail Rotor
  • Single-Pilot IFR (Instrument Flight)
  • Autopilot with Dual Garmin GPS
  • Technisonic Radios with UHF, VHF, and 800 MHz
  • Outerlink Satellite Communication & Tracking
  • Night Vision Goggle Imaging Systems
  • Helicopter Terrain Awareness Warning Systems (HTAWS)
  • Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS)
  • Radar Altimeters
  • On-board Weather Radar & XM Weather
  • Weather Strike Protection
  • IRIS Video Flight Data Recorder
  • Electronic Flight Bags with digital references

SAMCOMM

Superior Air Med Communication Center (SAMCOMM) is staffed 24/7 by Certified Flight Communicators.  The SAMCOMM Specialist is a member of the flight team and is the individual responsible for coordinating flight requests and initiating responses. The SAMCOMM Specialist monitors the helicopter through all segments of the transport, arranges for any ground transportation and ensures a smooth integration of resources.

Superior Air Med helicopters are operated by:

 

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