Two Together: A Helicopter Success Story - Helicopter Association ...

taining one in service and utilizing the other as backup.
Air Care has just purchased a second N2, to replace the
current designated backup helicopter. HAI member Air
Methods is presently configuring the new N2 Dauphin
helicopter with a new medical interior. One of the new
interior features include a unique center mounted litter
system. Air Care's two-man maintenance staff totals over
45 years of experience in helicopter maintenance. Both
A&P maintenance technicians hold certification awards
from American Eurocopter for extended years of
Dauphin service.
Air Care is proud of their safety record and has always
seen safety as a number one priority. To date the company
is 100 percent accident and incident-free. Flight
crewmembers conform to the highest standards. The
company strongly supports and encourages continued
education for all its employees. All members of the medical
staff are listed as Advanced Cardiac Life Support
(ACLS) instructors and crewmembers are also listed as
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Neonatal
Resuscitation (NRP) and Prehospital Trauma Life
Support (PHTLS) instructors. Three of the staff are graduates
of the Medical Transport Leadership Institute
(MTLI), and an additional three are about to graduate
MTLI. Pilots attend flight safety programs on a regular
basis. Four out of the five pilots are Air Transport Pilot
(ATP) rated; the fifth pilot is in the process of obtaining
the ATP rating. Air Care pilots average over 3,000 hours
of helicopter flight experience. Air Care continues to
obtain recertification every three years and adheres to
strict Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport
System (CAMTS) standards, as well as on-site survey credentialing.
In 1995, West Michigan Air Care became one of the
first 25 (out of 240) programs in the nation to obtain
CAMTS certification, and they hold the honor of being
the first merged program in the United States to receive
certification. In May of 2002, West Michigan Air Care
became one of only five facilities in the state to receive
the prestigious Michigan Voluntary Protection Programs
(MVPP) Star award for workplace safety and health
excellence, which was presented by then Lt. Governor
Dick Posthumus at a reception at the Kalamazoo Air
Museum.
The company participates in numerous special programs
such as providing Landing Zone classes for all
EMS and Emergency response personnel in their region.
The classes are unique in that they include a very thorough
training on safety in and around the helicopter.
Each participant sits in the pilot's seat to help develop a
better understanding of how limited the pilot's vision
actually is when performing a landing at the scene of an
emergency. Some class participants actually get to fly in a
helicopter to see first-hand what it is like to perform a rescue
by conducting a simulated emergency scene landing.
Air Care also sponsors Students Against Drunk
Driving (SADD) demonstrations in cooperation with the
local high school emergency response personnel. These
demonstrations are performed at several high schools
each year prior to their prom, and are narrated by Air
Care staff. The students watch staged performances of fellow
students involved in motor vehicle accidents due to
drunk driving, as they are being rescued and transported
by Air Care's helicopter to a trauma center. The demonstrations
are very effective because the victims involved in
the dramatic accident are often classmates and friends.
The message has a personal impact. Additionally, West
Michigan Air Care contributes to safety by mailing
AirWaves, a quarterly newsletter to all medical and rescue
personnel in the region.
Air Care is an excellent full service critical care transport
system, which serves as a model for transporting critically
ill or injured patients by helicopter, providing quick,
efficient service 24-hours a day, 365-days a year.
HAI congratulates West Michigan Air Care for their
outstanding service to a grateful public and for their commitment
to excellence. We are proud of our many members,
who like Air Care, routinely perform life saving helicopter
missions, often at great peril to themselves. Happy
anniversary West Michigan Air Care!
Martin J. Pociask is director of communications for HAI.
Summer 2003
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