Acadian Responds to Hurricane Ivan

Contact: W. Keith Simon, VP, PR & Marketing, 1.800.259.3333;
337.291.1584 office, 337.278.0114 mobile

ksimon@acadian.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 14, 2004

As Hurricane Ivan moved toward shore Tuesday, the mass evacuation experience and skills of Acadian Ambulance Service were put to a strenuous test, along with the efficiency of the company’s strategically located facilities. “Our people are responding with their usual expertise and compassion,” said Chairman and CEO Richard Zuschlag. “They have moved quickly to implement evacuation procedures for bed-confined patients in areas expected to be impacted by the storm. Working with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and local law enforcement agencies, we are evacuating more than 100 non-ambulatory patients from facilities in the Louisiana parishes of Orleans, St. Bernard, Jefferson and St. Charles and Jackson County in Mississippi.”

Acadian has solid experience in dealing with evacuations necessitated by hurricanes and other natural disasters, Zuschlag said. With the approach of the storm, the company’s comprehensive hurricane plan was implemented, beginning with intense briefing sessions for personnel in field operations, communications, fleet maintenance and medical supply.

To meet the extensive evacuation needs, 100 medics, staffing 50 ambulances have joined the normal daily contingent of 160 on-duty ambulances in the areas affected by the storm. Additional medics are standing by and will be used on an as-needed basis, Zuschlag said. Seven Acadian Air Med helicopters and two medically configured airplanes are participating in the evacuation operation of 21 critical patients from Methodist and Chalmette Medical Centers in the New Orleans area to Lake Charles.

Operations will continue until the storm winds reach 50 mph, which is considered the maximum velocity at which patients can be safely transported.
“In charting company development,” Zuschlag said, “we anticipated situations such as this. We have followed an expansion pattern from Southwest Louisiana through the Baton Rouge and New Orleans area and into Mississippi, establishing ambulance stations and other facilities so that any part of our service area can be quickly supported by ambulances and medics from nearby or adjacent areas.”
Acadian’s first major evacuation operation was in October of 1988, when officials at an Erath, Louisiana nursing home reported floodwaters rising dangerously, with a foot of water already inside the home. There were 128 residents in the home, most of them aged or infirm or both. The flood was a clear and immediate threat. A fleet of ambulances was dispatched. As the flood waters rose dangerously, anxious residents were safely evacuated in a quick and orderly fashion
The hurricane season provides the sternest test of Acadian Ambulance's ability to successfully coordinate a massive emergency medical effort. During storms such as Alicia, Danny, Juan and Lili, Acadian employed all its resources in lessening the blow from the natural disasters. The helicopters worked steadily to provide safety for people in remote areas where the storms posed a life-or-death threat. They were particularly active in the dangerous offshore waters.
Medics were deeply involved not only in helping to coordinate evacuation procedure, but also in caring for people with health problems who were affected by storm winds or flood waters. In some hurricane situations, medics boarded National Guard trucks to reach refugees in areas inaccessible to ambulances. Some went by boat to render aid.

“In every natural disaster,” Zuschlag said, “our people have responded not only with great skill, but also great courage. They are showing those same qualities in the face of Hurricane Ivan.”

As Ivan’s assault develops, persons faced with life or death situations should dial 911, Zuschlag said. Acadian Ambulance can be reached for non-emergency medical assistance by calling 511 direct.

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