During the Air Medical Transport Conference in San Jose, CA, the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA) unveiled its “No Pressure Initiative”. 

Earlier this year NEMSPA conducted a short, informal survey among more than 250 EMS pilots and found that more than one in three reported being susceptible to “internal” pressure to take a flight.  Approximately one in four reported encountering pressure from “external” sources, which can include frontline managers and even fellow crewmembers.  How often do pilots and their flight teams succumb to pressure?   That’s unclear.  AMOA (Air Medical Operators Association) has offered to work with NEMSPA to conduct a more comprehensive survey that might produce those statistics.

Believing the “pressure to fly” problem is significant enough to warrant protective measures, NEMSPA, in collaboration with the core air medical associations (ASTNA, IAFP, AMPA, NAACS and AAMS – representing flight nurses, paramedics, physicians, communicators and programs respectively), has introduced the “No Pressure Initiative.”  Consisting of three primary defensive layers, this program is designed to combat pressure in the 1) program culture, 2) during the preflight decision making process, and 3) while in cruise flight.  Air medical operations are strongly encouraged to integrate these three barriers into their program structure, and become a true “No Pressure Zone.”

The National EMS Pilots Association is a  non-profit professional pilot organization dedicated to serving rotary wing and fixed wing pilots involved in the air-medical transport industry. Additional information on NEMSPA and its corporate sponsorship program can be found at http://www.nemspa.org