LIFEGUARD FLT TOLD HOLD FOR RELEASE DUE LGT TAXIING FOR TKOF. LIFEGUARD ACFT AHEAD OF AND BLOCKING PATH OF LGT. TKOF VFR AND REQUEST CLRNC IN AIR.

Narrative

ON THE ABOVE DESCRIBED DATE AND TIME; MY ACFT HAD JUST LOADED A PATIENT ON BOARD AND STARTED THE ENGS TO TAXI FOR TKOF ON RWY 30. THE PROC AT BZN IS TO CONTACT SLC CTR ON THE GND FOR YOUR IFR CLRNC. MY COPLT DID SO AND WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC WITH A HOLD FOR RELEASE. THE REASON FOR THAT WAS THAT AN ACR LGT ALREADY HAD A CLRNC TO BE RELEASED IFR. I LOOKED FOR HIM AND SAW THAT HE WAS STILL PULLING OUT FROM THE TERMINAL BEHIND US AND WE WERE AT THIS TIME ABOUT 1/2 MI AHEAD OF HIM TO BE #1 ON THE RWY. WE NOTIFIED SLC THAT WE WERE #1 FOR TKOF; TO WHICH HE REPLIED 'HOLD FOR RELEASE.' I CONTINUED TAXIING TO THE END OF THE RWY AND HAD MY COPLT TELL SLC THAT WE WOULD TKOF VFR AND ACCEPT CLRNC IN THE AIR. THE LGT WAS NOW DIRECTLY BEHIND US WAITING FOR TKOF. WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO TAXI DOWN THE RWY FOR ABOUT A HALF MI TO REALIGN FOR TKOF. I ELECTED TO TKOF AT THIS TIME AND FLEW THE STANDARD PATTERN AND WE CALLED SLC OVER THE ARPT AT ABOUT 8000 FT AND TOLD HIM WE HAD DEPARTED AND WERE VFR. THE CTLR WAS ADAMANT IN TELLING US THAT HE HAD TOLD US TO HOLD FOR RELEASE. I TOLD HIM AGAIN THAT WE HAD DEPARTED VFR AND THAT WE HAD TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE LGT SO WE TOOK OFF. WE WERE A LIFEGUARD FLT AND SHOULD HAVE HAD SOME PREFERENCE; I FELT. THIS IS A FAIRLY REGULAR OCCURRENCE AT BZN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ACRS ROUTINELY GET THEIR CLRNCS WHILE SITTING IN THE TERMINAL. IF RWY 30 IS IN USE AT THE TIME; ALL GA PLANES TAXIING TO THAT RWY WILL BE AHEAD OF THE ACRS; IFR OR VFR. IF RWY 12 IS IN USE THE ACRS WILL BE AHEAD OF MOST OTHER AIRPLANES DUE TO THE LAYOUT OF THE ARPT. I FEEL THIS IS AN AREA WHERE SOME CHANGES COULD BE MADE TO AVOID THIS TYPE OF SITUATION IN THE FUTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES HE HAS NOT CONTACTED ANYONE AT CTR SINCE INCIDENT. ANALYST SUGGESTED A CALL TO CHIEF OF ZLC TO EXPLAIN TAXIWAY RWY CONFIGN AND HELP THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONDITIONS. ALSO TO REQUEST PRIORITY FOR LIFEGUARD FLTS.