Crime & Safety

State Police Shifts Baltimore County Medevac During Peak Times

The periodic move from Martin State Airport in Middle River to Cecil County is because more calls for Maryland State Police come from that area during peak service times.

Citing an effort to increase efficiency after a review of helicopter calls in the region, the Maryland State Police are moving “Trooper 1,” the helicopter based at Martin State Airport in Middle River, to Cecil County during peak demand periods. 

The new deployment began Saturday when thousands of people attended Canal Day festivities in Chesapeake City, Cecil County. It will continue through Labor Day, when a reevaluation will be done, said Greg Shipley, a Maryland State Police spokesman. 

Trooper 1 will temporarily relocate from Middle River to either the Water Witch Fire Company Station 7-2 or the Cecil County Paramedic 1 Station between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 7:30 p.m. to midnight on Mondays.   

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“We looked at where we were getting the most calls for Trooper 1 during these times and based the decision on that,” Shipley said. “A lot of these are automobile and motorcycle calls—we’re looking at the I-95 corridor. There’s also thousands of people who use the Bay in that area and we’re responding to boating injuries and watercraft incidents.” 

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command personnel partnered with members of the Cecil County Department of Emergency Services to study trends in requests for service. That study indicated a temporary relocation of specific aircraft may provide a more efficient service to the citizens of Maryland, according to a state police press release.

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Shipley said that in 2010, Trooper 1 responded 136 times to Cecil County. Of those calls, 117 were medevac calls, 13 were search and rescue efforts, and six were law enforcement calls. Shipley did not have immediate figures for Baltimore County, but reiterated that the temporary deployment is based on an increase in calls during specific time periods over specific days. 

Shipley said service to Baltimore County will not be diminished because of the new deployment. 

“They’ll still be responding to calls in the Baltimore County region as needed,” Shipley said. “In the Baltimore County region, most people are also closer to trauma centers. Most can be transported to a trauma center by ambulance within 30 minutes.”

Other helicopter deployments will also be considered when intelligence from internal or external customers indicates a surge in activity, when MSPAC services may benefit first responders or the citizens, the Maryland State Police said in a news release Monday.  

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command is an essential part of the Statewide Trauma and Emergency Medical Services system, working closely with all of Maryland’s first response organizations as part of the state’s integrated emergency medical services system. 

This is the second dynamic deployment initiated by the state police this year. Over Memorial Day weekend, Trooper 4, the helicopter based in Salisbury, began temporary weekend deployment to the Ocean City airport. 


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