LIFEGUARD AIR AMBULANCE FLT AT NON TWR ARPT HAS NMAC WITH C152 ON FINAL APCH. EXECUTED GAR TO AVOID CONFLICT.

Narrative

FLYING A MEDEVAC KING AIR; WE WERE DISPATCHED TO SALT LAKE MUNICIPAL #2; A SMALL ARPT JUST S OF SALT LAKE CITY. DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO NAV THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE NEAR OUR DEST; I WAS PLANNING ON STAYING IFR UNTIL WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE WX WAS GOOD; VFR WITH SMOKE AND HAZE. AS WE ENTERED THE ARR GATE AT SLC; WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT A VISUAL APCH. AT APPROX 10 MI FROM THE DEST ARPT; WE CALLED THE ARPT AND CANCELED IFR AND THEN CONTACTED SALT LAKE MUNICIPAL #2 TFC VIA THE PUBLISHED CTAF FREQ; RPTING BEING A 'LIFEGUARD KING AIR' WITH OUR POS AND INTENTIONS. AT THAT TIME THE ONLY RPTING TFC WAS A CESSNA ABOUT READY TO DEPART RWY 34. AS WE RPTED ENTERING A MIDFIELD L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34; A CESSNA (WHO WE WILL CALL #1) RPTED SEVERAL SECONDS LATER ON A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34. LOOKING FOR THE TFC; WE IMMEDIATELY RPTED OUR POS AGAIN; HOWEVER WE COULD NOT GET CESSNA #1 TO GIVE US HER EXACT POS ON THE DOWNWIND. KNOWING WE WERE FASTER AND HIGHER THAN THE RPTED CESSNA; WE ELECTED TO CONTINUE OUR DOWNWIND. IT WAS AT THIS TIME CESSNA #2; UNHEARD OF UNTIL NOW; RPTED OVER THE PWR LINES; ON FINAL FOR RWY 34. NOT KNOWING OR BEING ABLE TO SEE WHERE THE PWR LINES WERE; WE HAD A HARD TIME FINDING THAT TFC; HOWEVER; I SAW THE TFC PASS OFF MY L SIDE SO I GAVE US A SAFE INTERVAL; CALLED OUR TURNING ON BASE BEHIND THAT TFC. APPROX 15 SECONDS LATER; CESSNA #1 ALSO RPTED TURNING L BASE FOR RWY 34. AGAIN; WE TRIED TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT THAT TFC WAS BEHIND US OR IN FRONT OF US. AS WE TURNED AND RPTED FINAL FOR RWY 34; SO DID CESSNA #1 SEVERAL SECONDS LATER. NOT KNOWING WHERE SHE WAS IN RELATION TO US I ELECTED TO STAY HIGH ON FINAL; LOOKING FOR THE TFC AND AGAIN TRYING TO GET HER TO RESPOND WITH HER EXACT POS ON FINAL FOR RWY 34. I BELIEVE THAT SEVERAL TIMES SHE DID TRY TO RESPOND WITH HER POS; HOWEVER HER XMISSIONS WERE EITHER BEING BLOCKED OR SHE WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS. WHILE LOOKING FOR THE TFC; ANOTHER ACFT ENTERING THE L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34 RPTED SPOTTING CESSNA #1 AHEAD AND BELOW US. AS WE SPOTTED THE TFC APPROX 300 FT BELOW US; WE ANNOUNCED THE TFC IN SIGHT. THE PLT OF CESSNA #1 THEN ASKED IF SHE SHOULD GO AROUND. AT THIS POINT WE WERE NOT IN A POS TO LAND; A GAR WAS INEVITABLE; BUT WE HELD OUR ALT TO SEE WHAT CESSNA #1 WOULD DO. SOMEONE; WE DO NOT KNOW WHO; TOLD HER TO GAR; WHICH NOW FURTHER COMPLICATED MATTERS. WE SIDESTEPPED TO THE R; MADE A GAR; PASSED CESSNA #1; STATED OUR INTENTIONS AND THEN FOLLOWED CESSNA #2 FOR L TFC FOR RWY 34. AS WE TURNED AND RPTED ENTERING L XWIND; MY COPLT INFORMED ME THAT CESSNA #1 WAS TURNING BEHIND US; ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF CUTTING US OFF; BUT DUE TO OUR SPD AND CLB RATE; THERE WAS NO CONFLICT. IT WAS AT THIS TIME; I BELIEVE; THAT THE PERSON THAT TOLD CESSNA #1 TO GAR; XMITTED THE MESSAGE: 'LIFEGUARD ABC AS A LIFEGUARD FLT; YOU HAVE PRIORITY.' I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAD JUST HEARD. I INFORMED THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WE WERE NOT CRITICAL AND THAT WE WOULD FOLLOW CESSNA #1 FOR RWY 34. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: AS PIC; I SHOULD HAVE INSURED THAT WE STARTED MONITORING THE TFC PATTERN FURTHER THAN THE USUAL 10 MI OUT; THAT WAY WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY ASCERTAINED THAT THE PATTERN WAS FULL OF STUDENT PLTS; AS THIS PARTICULAR ARPT IS A RELIEVER ARPT FOR SLC. THE STUDENT PLT IN CESSNA #1 DID NOT MAINTAIN VIGILANCE; NOR WAS SHE PROPERLY MAINTAINING PROPER SPACING. I BELIEVE SHE MISTOOK THE #2 CESSNA FOR US. THE OTHER PLTS IN THE PATTERN WERE NOT COMMUNICATING AS FAR AS STATING THEIR POS ON OUR INITIAL CALL; ALONG WITH NOT GIVING US MORE OF AN EXACT POS. WE HAD A PLT IN THE PATTERN WHO WAS CALLING LANDMARKS THAT WERE NOT KNOWN TO US. ANOTHER CONFUSING ISSUE WAS THAT THE PLT OF CESSNA #2 WAS CALLING '#2 TFC;' INSTEAD OF 'SALT LAKE MUNICIPAL #2 TFC' ON HIS POS RPTS.