New Webinar: New Era for HEMS Set for Tomorrow; More News

Industry experts gather tomorrow at 11 am for a new Aviation Today webinar focusing on helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in the wake of harsh criticism surrounding the safety of this segment of aviation.

National Transportation Safety Board Member Robert Sumwalt will lead off the team of experts. He will be joined by Aviation Today’s own Air Safety Week Editor Ramon Lopez and Former Rotor & Wing Editor Ernie Stevens. Also on tap will be Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, MD, emergency physician, researcher and EMS author and
Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Gary Sizemore
spokesman and past president, National EMS Pilots Association.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations provide an important service to the public by transporting seriously ill patients and donor organs to emergency care facilities, often from remote areas not served by adequate facilities. These operations are unique and complex, mixing highly advanced medical care with the technical challenge of safely operating helicopters 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

U.S. HEMS operations are conducted by some 20 companies, using an estimated 750 helicopters for 60 hospital-based programs. Each year, about 400,000 seriously ill patients are transported in all but the worst weather conditions. By some measures, pilots of emergency medical helicopters have the most dangerous jobs in the U.S., racking up fatalities at a faster clip than loggers and other historically risky professions.

Aviation Today’s latest webinar asks some of the world's top helicopter air safety experts to provide a realistic assessment of the status of helicopter emergency medical services today. The expert panel will analyze recent HEMS accidents and incidents and look ahead to the new rules and regulations from the FAA governing such operations.

This webinar will examine how today's medical helicopter industry trends will affect the way business is done and the bottom line. Anyone involved in the operation, maintenance, repair, overhaul, manufacture, purchase, lease, regulation, or safety of medical helicopters will be interested in this timely and informative 60-minute webinar.

Our experts will address these issues:
• Pilot Training: Should EMS pilots be required to undergo training, including FAA-approved scenario-based simulator training, for inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and hazards unique to HEMS operations?
• Safety Management Systems: Should HEMS operators be required to implement SMS programs that include sound risk management practices?
• Flight Safety Equipment: Should HEMS operators be required to install flight data/cockpit voice recorders in their rotorcraft, night vision systems and Helicopter Terrain Awareness Warning Systems (HTAWS) that warn pilots if they are close to hitting the ground?
• Data Collection: Should HEMS operators be required to report activity on at least an annual basis to include total hours flown, revenue flight hours flown, revenue miles flown, patient transports completed, and number of departures?
• Autopilots/Dual Pilots: Should HEMS operators be required to equip their helicopters with autopilots and train pilots to use the autopilot if a second pilot is not available?
• Reimbursement: Should Medicare payments for medical flights be limited to HEMS operators who meet new higher safety standards?
To sign up for tomorrow’s webinar click here.

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