Safety Committee Meeting
LifeNet Bo Phillips and Lisa Nicholls
STATCARE Dwight Lawrence,
Kim Phelps and Beverly Ford
PHI Liz Schroeder and Jason Maan
Med Flight Kim Osborne and Melisha White
Air Evac No representative
UK No representative
Vanderbilt No representative
Beverly welcomed everyone for coming to the safety committee meeting. Marc Manley and Linda Minton were not present due to personal issues.
Marc noted at the last meeting he was going to call Florida AAMS and obtain information concerning their statewide air response for disasters. Marc was called at home and he stated he had copies of Florida’s plan / guidelines and that he will distribute the paperwork at the next meeting. Marc briefly reviewed what Florida does and how Kentucky could have a similar plan. Discussion followed concerning the probability so competitive issues. These issues and any political entities will need to stop so they we can help out our fellow professionals.
At the last meeting, several issues were brought to the table concerning communications and flight following. Beverly invited Kim Phelps, STATCARE Communications Supervisor, to discuss the above concerns. Kim notes to please call well in advance of any Louisville arrivals. With multiple in bound aircraft and only two pads available, advanced notice is imperative. If multiple aircraft are landing at U of L, pilots will be told to drop off their crews and relocate. Pilots also need to stay at U of L in case they need to move their aircraft.
Discussion concerning a multi-jurisdictional scene response and one agency calls for “x service” and another agency calls for “y service” and neither helicopter is aware that another aircraft is coming. Agencies know that there are multiple aircraft available and they are calling several helicopters at the same time “to see who can get there first.” There was much discussion concerning the use of the air-to-air frequency and the lack of its usage. Dwight notes making a call “in the blind” is a possibility, but we all need to educate the services on the hazards and potential lawsuits concerning this issue.
The services also need to educate the hospital on helicopter shopping and the potential risks involved.
We all must look out for one another and improve communications among the crew “to see and avoid.” The air-to-air frequency is available (123.025), so why not use it?
It was noted that the pilot has a lot to do, in regards to tuning multiple radio frequencies, during a scene flight. Some aircraft may not have enough radio capabilities to store multiple frequencies. Possibilities include making a 10 - mile out call from a scene, calling when coming out of the scene and direction of travel. Pilots will need to start asking if there is another aircraft coming / or is already on the scene.
Dwight will call the lead pilot from each service and discuss with them the use of the
air – to – air frequency. He will suggest that we all try calling 10 miles out to see if that works.
Survival Training Day
Discussed the planning of a survival training day for all air medical personnel. May have to have two different days so that all crews can attend one of the days. We need a centralized location for this training. If you have any ideas, contact the co – coordinators, Bo or Liz. Possible dates include the last of October or late spring.
Brief discussion regarding the recent reports concerning night vision goggles.
Very brief discussion concerning a regional dispatch center. A lot of different state and private agencies would be involved in the endeavor, and to get everyone on the same page anywhere in the near future is not going to happen.
Kim notes they are still looking into the use of designated mountain – top L/Z’s during nighttime operations. Kim speculates that EMS will not want to drive out of their way to meet a helicopter. Will discuss this issue further at the next meeting.
No other discussion or concerns made.
Next meeting will be on July 18, 2005 at 6 p.m. (Nelson County EMS)
Meeting adjourned at 1905.
Respectfully submitted,
Beverly Ford
Interim Secretary