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Helipad Public Hearing From Luke Stifflear, Hinsdale Resident, on 12/04/09 at 08:31 am |
On Wednesday, December 9th a Public Hearing will be held by the Village Plan Commission to hear testimony regarding Hinsdale Hospital’s Application for a Text Amendment to the Village Zoning Code and the issuance of a Special Use Permit (the “Application”). The Application is requested by Hinsdale Hospital so it may operate a helipad from the top of its existing parking garage (north of the tracks, East of Elm and West of County Line Rd.). Currently, the Village Code does not allow helipads on top of buildings.
At the current time, Hinsdale Hospital transports time sensitive, critical patients to other hospitals by transporting the patient via ambulance approximately 1 mile to a large parking lot at County Line Rd., North of Ogden Avenue where a medivac helicopter lands. The Hospital does not own a helicopter; rather it hires third party medivac companies. According to a Hinsdalean editorial authored by a Hospital physician, medivac transports occurred 12 times last year.
According to the Hospital’s Application, third party medivac helicopters would approach the landing pad from the West over Washington, Garfield, Park and Elm. Then, the medivac helicopter would depart directly south over the tracks and residential neighborhoods of Southeast Hinsdale.
At the Public Hearing the Hospital will provide a presentation on the Application and residents will have the opportunity to provide input and ask questions. It is expected that, among other topics, the following issues will be discussed:
COMMUNITY BENEFIT: Acknowledging the Hospital is a strong community asset, what is the marginal benefit of having a landing pad at the hospital versus a location one mile away. What is the “time” difference given third party transport services are called with a margin for arrival time (no helicopter will be stored on hospital grounds).
SAFETY: The Application does not address Safety as a consideration. However, the U.S. helicopter accident rate is 50x greater than the U.S. air carrier accident rate. (Source: Mike Kriebel, senior vice president of Aviation Underwriters Association). The low altitude flight paths and surrounding residential neighborhoods should be considered as certain communities have specifically not allowed medivac helicopters due to safety concerns. Residents are likely to recall the October 2008 crash of a medivac helicopter in Aurora where occupants of the helicopter were killed and parts of the helicopter rained down on a residential neighborhood forcing evacuations.
NOISE: The Application does not address noise levels. Specifically, the Application states “It is our belief (the Hospital) that the proposed text amendment will have no affect on the use and enjoyment of adjacent properties”. Does the lack of information provided by the Hospital imply any helicopter will operate within the noise restrictions (and hours) of the Village Code? How loud are medivac helicopters when only several hundred feet above homes?
PROPERTY VALUES: The Application states “the proposed amendment (helipad) will not affect the value of adjacent properties”
In particular, I believe it will be necessary for the Hospital to address and the Plan Commission to consider, the incremental benefit of a helipad on top of the hospital versus the existing landing site approximately 1 mile away. Personally, I have not determined if the benefits of a helipad would offset the potential negative aspects, primarily because adequate information has not been provided to the Village or its residents. As the Hospital has hired an attorney with experience in helipad zoning issues I believe it has considered many of these issues and I look forward to hearing the Hospitals presentation regarding the Application.
Lastly, if the Village ultimately determines that a helipad would be beneficial to the community, should the Village consider a usage tax for each take off and landing? Given the inelastic pricing nature of this service, a tax would not stop consumers from utilizing it when truly necessary, but if large enough may discourage overuse when not absolutely necessary.
Would you sing the same tune if it was your wife, child or mother who needed that medical helicopter?
Twelve times a year...what a bother if it saves a life.
My point wasn't the necessity of the transport - I understand the critical need for emergency transportation. However, I do not believe flying to either Good Samaritan in Downers Grove, or to Loyola in Maywood would jeopardize a patient's welfare. Depending on the point of the flight's origin, there may be little or no difference in travel times.
My other point about the frequency of flights was more a complaint about the use of resources. Health care costs are out of control. Does it make good fiscal sense to spend the money for a helipad to service twelve patients a year? Would the money be better spent on some other component of health care delivery?
I simply do not see the need for a helipad in central Hinsdale. The noise it will add is just more reason it shouldn't be built.
I think you misinterpreted my comments. I live in the current flight path to the current 'helipad.'
If the hospital moves the pad to their garage, the quality of my life will actually improve, so I'm not just any old NIMBY.
But I also want people in the proposed flight path to understand just how loud a large, turbine helicopter is when it's flying just above the treetops.
How many years have you lived at your current address?
If you just moved in and the real estate agent or seller didn't disclose the noise issue then that is a shame and just plain wrong. After all you move into a home next to the railroad tracks you know there is going to be noise. You move into a home next to a baseball park you know there is going to be extra traffic and such during the season but who would think to ask if you are in a flight path?
On the other hand and not wanting to mis-interterpet...seems to me if your quality of life in the flight path was so bad you just might consider moving to improve.
This town has toooo many Sudden Changes that the rest of the town has NO idea are taking!!!!
My Family has ( at least some branch of it) for over 110 years...... yeah.... 110 years. For Gosh Sakes! If you really need to Get someone over to Loyola or where ever - can't you fly them out either over near the Old Spinning Wheel Restaurant, which the Hospital now onws OR south on Madison, where the Helicopters presently lift off from?
If it were your parent or child in need of emergency care...would you still be opposing it? Would you really take that chance?
Instead of 'deciding' to be annoyed by the noise...try this ....each time you hear the helicopter pass over...be thankful it is not you or yours riding in it ...and perhaps find comfort knowing the noise is a reminder of another life possibly being saved.
Although one objector cited the hospital as a "strong
community asset" which it indeed is, he or she could
not quite make the stretch to potentially allow up to twelve lives to be saved annually. Over the years,
I have watched the Hospital almost be vilified whenever they they tried to expand and/or upgrade their Campus for the benefit of their patient base.
The author raises valid points which I'm sure the hospital will address....
We all know the Hinsdale Hospital is an asset to the community. All of my children were born there and kids being kids wound up in the emergency room number of times over the years. I think the hospital is great but I wonder if the Helipad, on top of the parking garage, is really going to save even one life.
The hospital does not have a helicopter of its own so it must call for one when needed. An ambulance can travel from the hospital to the present Helipad on Ogden in about one minute. Can the helicopter for hire make it to the hospital in less than a minute? If not, why not have the chopper land on Ogden Ave. The ambulance will invariably be waiting for it to arrive.
I can’t see any advantage to having the helicopter land at the hospital campus as opposed to the Helipad on Ogden. The new helipad location at the hospital will certainly put the residents in the flight path at some increased risk even though it might be small but I wish someone would explain to me how this new helipad location will save any time in getting a patient to his destination and save even one life.
The medical emergency helicopters are loud. No surprise there. They are turbine-powered aircraft which make noise.
To get the idea, think about the scenes from "Apocalypse Now" in 360-degree surround sound in every room of your house. At any hour of the day or night, and without warning.
There are several other hospitals in our immediate area which have helipads. Should we really believe that those twelve patients a year can't be sent to one of those other, helipad-equipped hospitals?