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County helped assemble five‑county DOT grant to carry whole blood on ambulances, with future drone delivery pilot
Summary
Emergency management staff said Iron County led a rapid five‑county consortium to submit a federal DOT proposal to outfit rural ambulances to carry whole blood for on‑site transfusions and to develop drone delivery capabilities in the third year; the application was submitted under a short timeline and awaits DOT decision and later commission ratification.
Iron County emergency management staff described a last‑minute effort to assemble a five‑county consortium and submit a federal Department of Transportation grant application to equip ambulances to carry whole blood and begin on‑scene transfusions.
Staff said Dr. Peter Telk of the University of Utah requested the consortium and that the counties (Iron, Grand, Carbon, Emery and Juab) pooled resources and support from state EMS and Gold Cross to complete the application on a short timeline. The three‑year proposal would first build infrastructure and place equipment on ambulances so crews can carry whole blood and initiate transfusions on scene; in the third year the project would work with the University of Utah engineering department on drone delivery directly from hospitals to accident scenes.
Emergency‑management staff said the state EMS director and Gold Cross operations supported the application and that the county previously participated in a DOT umbrella grant the prior year. The application was signed and submitted last Friday; staff said they will return to the commission for ratification once award notifications are received.
If funded, the program would require multiagency coordination, training of EMS crews and equipment installation; staff described the potential to extend the “golden hour” and save lives in rural counties where definitive transfusion care can be hours away.
