Latest HEMS/SAR news

US Coast Guard searching for 12 missing people after capsizing

The US Coast Guard was searching by air and sea for 12 people missing off the coast of Louisiana on 14 April, hours after six other crew members were pulled…

Air Idaho Rescue opens seasonal Yellowstone base

The subsidiary of Air Methods has reopened its West Yellowstone seasonal air medical base to provide faster medical transport services in the remote region

New night vision devices for Rega’s rescue helicopters

Swiss rescue service Rega has new night vision devices on every helicopter, specially developed for the service

Intermountain to acquire Classic Air Medical

Intermountain Healthcare has signed an agreement to acquire air medical transport company Classic Air Medical, which serves patients in eight western US states, including much of the same footprint as…

An aircrew member looks over as Nashville Fire Department’s helicopter-borne Aquatic Rescue Team performs a water rescue mission

US National Guard supports joint water rescue exercise

On 9 April, members from the Tennessee National Guard, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Nashville Fire Department, Rutherford County's StormPoint Emergency Response team and others participated in a joint water rescue…

New helipad secures direct access to hospital for emergency patients

The new helipad located at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (RHCYP/DCN) in Edinburgh, Scotland, has officially opened

Wiltshire Air Ambulance on working through a pandemic

The UK air ambulance charity has released a series of compelling images that depict ‘life on the front line’ during 2020

ADAC Air Rescue offers hoist rescue training

German rescue service ADAC Air Rescue is carrying out hoist rescue training from 12 to 23 April in the Wangerland area

read news

Hoist training influences and opportunities

Dr Joetey Attariwala shares an in-depth report into the latest technological advancements that are changing the ways in which hoist rescues can be trained for and executed

High-rise helicopter rescues

Barry Smith investigates the unique challenges of helicopter rescues when you’re surrounded by high-rise buildings

The challenges of operating civilian SAR and HEMS in Latin America

Chris Sharpe shares his experiences on the unique challenges and risks he faced when starting up a civilian search and rescue organisation in Central America

Hoisting Challenges – Onshore versus Offshore rescues

Rob Munday shares insights from his experiences as a hoist crewman and instructor for both onshore and offshore helicopter operations, identifying the key differentiators between the two environments, and what…

High-altitude rescues – considerations and concerns

Barry Smith shares insights from experts taking on the ultimate challenge for rescue crews – rescue at high altitude, where aircraft and crew are pushed to the limit

SAR equipment selection: Is there such a thing as the ‘right’ kit?

Selecting the right equipment for your helicopter rescue mission can be a daunting task. Rob Munday from SR3 Rescue Concepts considers whether or not there is an answer for what…

Covid-19 changes EURAMI accreditation audit process

Claudia Schmiedhuber shared how the past year, which has been inevitably shaped and forever changed by Covid-19, has presented an opportunity to change the way accreditation audits have been performed…

Covid-19: Great North Air Ambulance Service’s story

Araminta Hartley looks at how Covid-19 has affected the charity’s work so far, and how they see the situation developing over the months to come

Top Challenges for Air Medical Providers - looking backwards and forwards

Businesses all over the world have had to adapt their operations this year, but for the aviation industry in particular, 2020 has been one of the most difficult years on…

Instrument Flight Rules operations for HEMS

Introducing instrument flight rules operations means increased safety for crews and patients. Barry Smith spoke to operators and training providers to find out how complicated they are to implement

Industry Voice: CAMTS on the audits during a pandemic

Conducting audits during a pandemic is a new challenge that has been met head on by accreditation organizations around the world, and, in the world of air medical operations, where…

Safety culture and good decisions

Terry Palmer asks why, despite ongoing improvements in safety in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), there continue to be preventable accidents

The cost of special missions insurance

Helicopters flying emergency medical and police missions are involved in proportionately fewer fatal and non-fatal accidents than other rotorcraft, according to safety experts from the US Helicopter Safety Team. In…

Aerial assets of US Customs and Border Protection

A border is more than a wall, a fence, a divider or a boundary line. Amy Gallagher found out how the US Customs and Border Protection and Air and Marine…

Sharing experiences in crew resource management

Rick London of the UK’s National Police Air Service (NPAS) discusses the culture of crew resource management (CRM) in police aviation, and the importance of crewmembers sharing experiences with each…

French Air Force EC-725 working with a USAF C-130 to evacuate victims during a training exercise © Barry Smith

Multi-agency disaster management

Barry Smith discusses how relief organisations can work together effectively after a disaster by designing, creating, and building an effective response system

Military SAR, a look ahead

Richard Bryson, Program Chief Engineer of Collins Aerospace’s hoist and winch division, shares his view of what the future of SAR might look like

Lease or buy - renewing air medical fleets

For fixed-wing air ambulance companies in the private sector, balancing the pros and cons of leasing or outright purchase is key, say operators. But for smaller outfits, raising finance can…

Crash-resistant fuel systems - uptake by civil helicopter operators

Amy Gallagher updates readers on the long-awaited Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation, with its final ruling and reporting analysis of the crash-resistant fuel systems (CRFS), along with the reaction of…

Doing your safety duty in airborne special missions

How do airborne special missions providers manage and mitigate the risks to their crews? Mario Pierobon spoke to the experts to find out more

Migrant search and rescue

Alex Pollitt, a SAR pilot with Babcock Mission Critical Services España, asks if the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean could result in the final flourish of the manned helicopter as…

Hoisting infectious patients: Helicopter hoisting in the current Covid-19 environment

Brad Matheson of Priority 1 Air Rescue shared his insights into how to safely hoist patients that present with a respiratory infection, whether it be Covid-19 or anything else, keeping…

Helicopter rescue hoist training

Barry Smith investigates the ways in which special missions operators can train their teams to be ready for the helicopter hoist rescue scenarios they are going to face, whether from…

Interview: Paul Swinton on high performance airway management

Air Ambulance Paramedic and co-inventor of SCRAM™ Paul Swinton spoke to Mandy Langfield about his work for ScotSTAR, the Scottish medical retrieval service, and his innovative approach to critical airway…

Interview: Dr Stephen Hearns shares lessons on peak performance under pressure

Dr Stephen Hearns spoke to Mandy Langfield about his latest venture into training, which focuses on high performance in high-pressure situations – something the former head of the Scottish Emergency…

Interview: Dr Duncan Bootland, Medical Director, Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex

Mandy Langfield spoke to Dr Duncan Bootland, Medical Director of Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex in the UK, about how medical care onboard helicopters has changed for the better, and…

Interview: Kolby Kolbet, LifeLinkIII

AirMed&Rescue spoke to Kolby Kolbet, Vice-President of Clinical Services at Life Link III, about overcoming the challenges 2020 has brought, and how his experiences as a first responder led to…

Interview: Dr Tom Hurst, London’s Air Ambulance

AirMed&Rescue spoke to Dr Tom Hurst, Medical Director for London’s Air Ambulance (LAA), about his latest professional challenge working for the HEMS charity

Photo of crew - left to right, Mike Sayler (pilot), Brent Tracy (paramedic), Becky Tissue (registered nurse).

Interview – Brent Tracy, Flight Paramedic at MedX AirOne

Brent Tracy spoke to AirMed&Rescue about receiving the Tim Hynes Foundation’s Scholarship award to the Safety Management Training Academy (SMTA), and discussed the challenges and rewards of life as a…

Covid-19 in LATAM

Two air ambulance companies in Latin America, USMX AirLink Ambulance in Mexico, and HELIDOSA in the Dominican Republic, have been battling the logistical and medical complications Covid-19 has caused. AirMed&Rescue…

Provider Profile: Boston MedFlight

Boston MedFlight has served the communities in the Boston area of the US for over 35 years. Clara Bullock spoke to CEO Maura Hughes, to find out more about the…

Provider Profile Med-Trans Corporation

As a member of the US-based Global Medical Response family of companies, national medical transport provider Med-Trans Corporation is focused on establishing professional relationships with leading health systems, medical centres…

Provider Profile: San Antonio AirLIFE

Adair Welfel of San Antonio AirLIFE gives an insight into the organisation’s inner workings, history and philosophy

Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter bell 407

Provider Profile: Arizona Department of Public Safety

Terry Miyauchi, Aviation Commander at the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS), provides a window into the Aviation Bureau’s inner workings

The problem of hypothermia in neonatal transport

Dr Carlo Bellini shares the key considerations of air medical and ground physicians when deciding whether or not to activate an emergency medical helicopter transfer for neonatal patients

Industry Voice: Electronic flight bags

Andrew Boniface gives his take on how pilots can safely and effectively introduce electronic flight bags to their cockpits to enhance operational safety without becoming over reliant on automation

Pre-hospital airway management training

Cory Oaks discusses the importance of training for complicated airway management in a pre-hospital setting – and this means more than practising with a mannequin in a quiet, well-lit room…

Interview: Manolo Guillen, AW139 Lead Instructor, CopterSafety

AirMed&Rescue spoke to Manolo Guillen, AW139 Lead Instructor for CopterSafety, about his newest role with the simulation training company, and his history in HEMS, SAR and aerial firefighting cockpits in…

Profile: The San Diego Police Department Air Support Unit

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Air Support Unit was formed in 1986 when the agency acquired its first Bell helicopter. For the next 20 years, the unit would operate…

Profile: Italian Air Force CSAR unit

Dino Marcellino reports on his visit to the Italian Air Force’s Combat Search and Rescue Squadron

Dogs in SAR roles

Mandy Langfield spoke to organisations in Scotland, Canada and the US about how teams are deploying their furry friends with all the best SAR skills

Sikorsky HH-60W: The US Air Force's new combat rescue helicopter

AirMed&Rescue’s special correspondent Joetey Attariwala was one of a select few journalists invited to Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, to cover the roll-out ceremony of the…

Military SAR, a look ahead

Richard Bryson, Program Chief Engineer of Collins Aerospace’s hoist and winch division, shares his view of what the future of SAR might look like

Profile: Italian Air Force CSAR unit

Dino Marcellino reports on his visit to the Italian Air Force’s Combat Search and Rescue Squadron

read issue