EAST LANSING, Mich. — Police dogs hurt in the line of duty anywhere in Michigan can now get a helicopter ride to emergency care, under a statewide program that two hospital flight services and Michigan State University launched this week.
The service, announced Wednesday, is the first of its kind in Michigan to fly injured working dogs to emergency care. Two helicopter programs fly the missions: North Flight Aero Med, which Corewell Health and Munson Healthcare operate together, and Corewell Health Aero Med. The destination is the Michigan State University Veterinary Medical Center, where specialists in emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesia, imaging, blood banking and critical care are called in when a dog is on the way.
Any dog on duty with a police department, a military unit or another public safety agency qualifies. Flight crews are trained to handle canine trauma, heavy bleeding, heat illness, breathing emergencies, cardiac arrest, burns and poisoning, according to the partners.
Distance is the main problem the program is meant to solve. From northern Michigan, the drive to the MSU veterinary hospital can run up to three hours, while the same trip by helicopter takes about an hour. Handlers have generally had to rush injured dogs downstate in patrol cars, a trip that winter weather and traffic can slow further.
Each flight carries two flight nurse paramedics who can treat the dog in the air, and the dog’s handler rides along. To request a flight, a handler calls the regional dispatch center, which contacts the flight communications team to launch the response.
The partners said the program came together through joint training among veterinarians, aviation staff and transport crews, including communication exercises and a live practice transport before it went into service. In the announcement, Leslie Schutte, who manages clinical flight operations for both Aero Med programs, said the teams learned new skills and wrote new protocols after spotting a gap in emergency care for working dogs.
Organizers note that serious injuries to police dogs are not common, but when they happen, minutes can matter.
Section: More Lansing MI crime news
Filed under: Lansing MI Public Safety News
