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MARYSVILLE PILCHUCK
Choppers out of range Six months after the Marysville Pilchuck High School shootings, UW Medicine now concedes that medical helicopters were nowhere nearby. That means prompt transport to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle was never an option.
Herald Writers
SEATTLE — Top leaders at UW Medicine used the Marysville Pilchuck High School shootings to disparage the competence of counterparts at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, and for five months they withheld records that disprove a key premise of their criticism, an investigation by The Daily Herald has found. Internal emails show that only hours passed before UW Medicine officials began second-guessing why four gravely wounded victims of the Oct. 24 school shootings were taken to Providence instead of being flown by Airlift Northwest helicopters to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the region’s top trauma center. Harborview and the helicopter ambulance service are part of UW Medicine, the sprawling health care system governed by the University of Washington. Harborview and Airlift Northwest repeatedly have claimed that helicopters were hovering over Marysville Pilchuck when paramedics waved them off. But flight logs containing detailed tracking data show that two helicopters dispatched to help that morning were both 27 miles away — one above north Seattle and the other over Burlington in Skagit County. At those distances, it likely would have taken at least another 30 minutes for the helicopters to reach the high school, land, load and then transport the teenagers to Harborview. Instead, the victims were raced to Providence by ground ambulance — trips that took 12 minutes or less. Airlift Northwest previously provided the media with timelines that contradict data in its own flight logs. UW Medicine used those timelines in urging the state Department of Health to review the Marysville triage decisions. On Thursday, UW Medicine officials acknowledged that the newly released flight logs are correct and that no helicopters were hovering over the high school when the decision was made to transport victims by ground. They offered no explanation
■■ UW Medicine responds, A8 ■■ Original flight logs and emails can be downloaded from this story at www.heraldnet.com. for the earlier misleading information, nor did they explain why nothing had been done to set the record straight. UW Medicine did not, for example, share the facts of helicopter locations at a private meeting with Providence and emergency responders, held in part to discuss Harborview’s complaints. Late Thursday, UW Medicine released a statement that said, in part: “We continue to have ongoing discussions with our Snohomish county colleagues on best practices to ensure that the Snohomish community always has access to the most appropriate care in accordance with state trauma guidelines.” While The Daily Herald awaited release of the records, UW Medicine claimed that patient privacy prevented them from releasing the flight data requested five months ago by The Daily Herald, even though no patients were transported. University of Washington public records officials released the flight logs and emails in compliance with state public records law. The records made available so far reveal that Harborview’s chief health system officer, Johnese Spisso, and the hospital’s chief of trauma, Dr. Eileen Bulger, both were prominent in behind-the-scenes criticism of first responders in Snohomish County: ■■By 6:10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, less than eight hours after the 10:38 a.m. gunfire, Spisso wrote Bulger that she was “appalled” by the on-scene decisions made in Marysville that morning. “We should file a formal complaint with the state,” Spisso wrote. ■■In her reply, Bulger agreed, asserting that the helicopters were at the shooting scene, ready to ferry patients to Harborview, “and they were turned away.” She said a meeting was needed with Providence and emergency responders in Snohomish County.
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INSIDE
Within hours of of the the Marysville Pilchuck Pilchuck High High School shootings shootings on on Oct. Oct. 24, officials of Harborview Harborview Medical Center and and Airlift Airlift Northwest claimed claimed that that helicopters had been been over the readyready to whisk overschool, the school, to whisk critically wounded critically wounded students to Seattle, Seattle, when when first responders canceled canceled them at 11:07 a.m. a.m.
Bellingham 15 MINUTES
the buzz
By Scott North and Chuck Taylor
AIRLIFT FLIGHT DATA DATA AIRLIFT NORTHWEST FLIGHT
Business . . . . A11 Classified . . . . B1
Comics . . . . . . D4 Crossword . . . D4
Airlift 55 was was Airlift dispatched at dispatched at 10:47 a.m. 10:47 a.m. It It departed departed Bellingham at at 10:58 10:58 andand was the first airborne.
10 MINUTES
logs show, In fact, flight fight logs show, the nearest the nearest Airlift Airlift helicophelicopters 27away miles ters were 27were miles away — about 10 minutes — about 10 minutes of of flying, counting flying, notnot counting time time to land, power to land, power downdown and and load patients. load patients.
Airlift 5 11:07 a.m. Mount Vernon
At 11:07 11:07 a.m., At a.m., two two of of four four patients were patients were already already en en route in ground route in ground ambuambulances to Providence. lances to Providence. All All four arrived there four arrived there by by 11:25 a.m. a.m. Ambulance 11:25 Ambulance travel times times ranged travel ranged from from 10 to 12 minutes. 10 to 12 minutes.
5 MINUTES
Arlington Municipal Airport
Marysville Pilchuck High School
Marysville Airlift 6 11:20 a.m.
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
Everett 5 MINUTES Approximate flying time to Marysville at 158 mph. Does not include slowing, descent, landing and patient loading.
10 MINUTES
Airlift 2 11:07 a.m. Seattle Airlift 2 was dispatched at 10:45 a.m. but did a.m. butnot diddepart not depart Boeing Field until 11:02 11:02 due to an unspecified unspecified maintenance issue.
Airlift 6 11:07 a.m. Harborview Medical Center
Boeing Field
SOURCE: Airlift flight logslogs SOURCE: AirliftNorthwest Northwest flight
Animal Planet Ask Tippi Hedren about Angry Birds: Rovio, the maker of the popular “Angry Birds” smartphone game, is teaming up with an animal conservation group to help save birds in the South Pacific threatened with extinction. The game helps explain how nonnative predators are Dear Abby . . . D5 Horoscope . . . B5
CHUCK CHUCKTAYLOR TAYLOR/ /THE THEHERALD HERALD
going after the eggs of real birds (Page A11). Rovio might also want to explain, particularly to kids whose only exposure to birds is through the video game, that in real life it’s a bad idea to use a slingshot to fling birds at pigs. Speaking of angry birds: A new study projects that one
Lottery . . . . . . A2 Obituaries . . . A9
Airlift Airlift66had hadbeen been on onanother anothercall calland and departedHarborview Harbordeparted at 11:05 atview 11:05 a.m. toa.m. to return to base return to base at at ArlingtonMunicipal Municipal Arlington Airport.ItItwas wasnot not Airport. partofofthe theMPHS MPHS part response.Airlift Airlift response. Northwestlater later Northwest claimedititwas wasover over claimed thescene sceneatat11:10 11:10 the a.m.,which whichwas was a.m., untrue. untrue.
Opinion . . . . A13 Short Takes . . D6
in every 13 species on Earth will eventually be pushed into extinction because of climate change (Page A2). Surprisingly, one species expected to survive, scientists said, is headium deepus sandii, also known as the common climate change denier. Don’t wrap it; I’ll eat it Sports . . . . . . C1 Stocks . . . . . A12
Police safe is missing money The Bothell Police Department’s evidence room coordinator eventually was fired after a routine audit uncovered the loss. By Eric Stevick Herald Writer
BOTHELL — Somebody took money from a safe in the Bothell Police Department evidence room, and the Washington State Patrol now is conducting a criminal investigation. A police captain discovered an undisclosed amount of money was gone during a routine audit Jan. 20. That led to separate internal and criminal investigations. Both are ongoing. “It just makes it cleaner when you have an outside agency come in,” Bothell police Sgt. Ken Seuberlich said. “It’s standard practice.” The police department’s evidence room coordinator immediately was placed on paid administrative leave in January. He was fired Feb. 17 from the noncommissioned position. The employee had held the job for 24 years and had no previous disciplinary action taken against him. Seuberlich declined to say how much money was missing. He said that was because the investigation is ongoing. “I can’t tell you the quantity, but it was enough for us to activate a criminal investigation,” he said. Seuberlich also had no information about why the money allegedly was taken. “I can’t really speculate on what caused the employee to do what he did,” he said. The Washington State Patrol also is not providing specifics. “We were asked to confirm some irregularities in the handling of evidence,” State Patrol spokeswoman Bob Calkins said. “The investigation is still ongoing so that’s about all I can say.” The State Patrol will forward its investigation to King County prosecutors for a filing decision, he said. Bothell police continue to do an item-by-item audit of the evidence room to make sure nothing else was taken. It has informed defense attorneys of the missing money, Seuberlich said. Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
here: A stranded sea lion pup was rescued after it was found on a sidewalk in San Francisco (Page A2). The sea lion admitted he was lost and asked his rescuers for directions to Seattle and the Ballard locks or that fishmonger’s shop at Pike Place Market where they throw salmon. —Jon Bauer, Herald staff
Fluctuating 59/47, C6
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