Structural fire departments across the country routinely are called to assist with landing zones (LZs) for medical evacuation air ambulance missions, VIP standbys, and helicopter emergencies. Firefighters think they are ready for anything, but responding to calls involving helicopters requires some unique understanding, specialized training, and planning. The safety of flight crews, patients, responders, and the community are at risk at these calls.
The medical evacuation helicopter has been one of the greatest life-saving tools at our disposal, and it also creates situations in which structural firefighters interface with aircraft in the firefighters’ first-due response area. About 750 air ambulances are operating in the United States today. They carry approximately 400,000 patients a year. Recently, the number of crashes involving these helicopters has increased dramatically. According to a USA Today report (July 18, 2005): “Since 2000, 60 people have died in 84 crashes-more than double the number of crashes during the previous five years. During that period, more than 10 percent of the U.S. air ambulance fleet crashed.”
We know from experience that bringing a helicopter into and out of a hastily devised landing zone, often with poor lighting, poor visibility, and poor weather conditions, is very risky. This article will provide some suggestions designed to improve your operations and safety at these incidents. First, however, let’s look at some considerations that are integral to safe helicopter-landing operations.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
