U.S. air-ambulances placed on Most Wanted Safety List

William Atkins
Wednesday, 04 February 2009 19:28

Science - Health

The NTSB, an independent U.S. federal government agency, states that the goal of the hearing is to learn more about operations of helicopter Emergency Medical Services (EMS) so that the federal government can better evaluate and correct factors that lead to many of these helicopter accidents.

It further states, “The Board will invite expert witnesses to provide sworn testimony. The majority of these witnesses will participate as part of small panels addressing particular safety issues. Additionally, several organizations will be granted “party status” to the hearing so that they may question the witnesses directly. The witnesses and parties will represent a range of EMS-related communities, including pilots, medical personnel, managers, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials who provide oversight.”

“Helicopter EMS safety has been an ongoing concern of the Safety Board. In January 2006, the Board issued a special investigation report on EMS operations.”

This special report came about because: “Many of the 55 EMS-related aviation accidents (fatal and non-fatal) that occurred between January 2002 and January 2005 could have been prevented with simple corrective actions, including oversight, flight risk evaluations, improved dispatch procedures, and the incorporation of available technologies. As a result, the Board issued four safety recommendations to the FAA, which have not yet been fully implemented.”

The complete report and recommendations can be found online at “Special Investigation Report on Emergency Medical Services Operations.”

The National Transportation Safety Board has added helicopter EMS safety to its “Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.”

A summary of this Most Wanted Safety List is found on the NTSB website “NTSB Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements.”