Latest HEMS/SAR news

Flight for Life Colorado opens new helipad

Flight for Life Colorado opened a helipad at St Francis Hospital, Colorado Springs this week, while medevac helipad projects in New York and Ontario continue to fundraise

Metro Aviation to operate Arizona’s Guardian Air Transport

Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) has chosen Metro Aviation to operate its Guardian Air Transport non-profit air medical program

Kentucky Air National Guard supports flood rescue efforts

The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123 Special Tactics Squadron (STS) reported that it has rescued 19 stranded residents – and two dogs – during flood relief efforts in the state’s…

Helicopter crashes during Pakistan flood relief efforts

A Pakistani military helicopter has crashed while supporting flood relief efforts near Lasbela, in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province

Zipline partners with MultiCare

Drone logistics provider Zipline has partnered with MultiCare Health System, a healthcare provider in the US state of Washington, to develop a drone delivery network for medical supplies

CHC Helicopter celebrates 75 years

CHC Helicopter is celebrating its 75th anniversary of operations, which has seen it grow from a crop-dusting operation in British Columbia to a major provider of helicopter services worldwide

LifeStar Georgia opens new Hinesville base

Air Methods subsidiary LifeStar Georgia has established a new helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) base in Hinesville, to serve the state’s southern regions

Virginia’s MedFlight program cuts operational hours

Virginia State Police (VSP) has announced changes to the operational hours of its MedFlight air ambulance program, due to a lack of pilots

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HEMS / SAR insights - August 2022 issue

To Live or Die? Rescue aircrew survival tactics and techniques

Chris ‘Razor’ Sharpe looks at the misconceptions of what is an essential part of all aircrew training: aircrew survival

Ready to react: Captain Matt Wilcock, Unit Chief Pilot at Wiltshire Air Ambulance

AirMed&Rescue spoke to Captain Matt Wilcock, Unit Chief Pilot at Wiltshire Air Ambulance in the West of England, about how his experience flying military helicopters meshes perfectly with the demands…

Interview: Cole Tideswell

Kate McLaughlin spoke with Advanced Life Support and Flight Paramedic Cole Tideswell about hostile environment healthcare, and aeromedical assistance and evacuation solutions

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POLICE AVIATION SPECIAL EDITION

NYPD Aviation Unit: New York’s boys (and girls) in blue

Lieutenant Antonio Hernandez, assigned to the New York Police Department Aviation Unit, spoke to Mandy Langfield about mission profiles, mechanics doubling as crew chiefs, and his hopes for the future…

Washoe County Sheriff: always ready to respond

Mandy Langfield spoke to Deputy Seppl Baumann, a pilot with the Washoe County Sheriff’s regional aviation enforcement unit – RAVEN – about retasking former military aircraft for new and challenging…

Victoria Police Air Wing: Keeping up capabilities

With a number of helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft at its disposal, the Victoria Police Air Wing ensures it is keeping up with demand in an area that spans deserts…

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HEMS/SAR insights - March 2022 Issue

Italian Army NH-90 to the rescue

Dino Marcellino describes how the NH-90 is coming into its own as a CSAR aircraft with the Italian Army’s Aviation Division

NAAMTA Global International Helicopter Hoisting Standards

In late 2021, Aerospace Qualified Entity (AQE) published its final report after the fatal accident involving an Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92 helicopter in 2017. In the light of this…

What does it take to become a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer?

Rescue swimmers operate in conditions that can be intense, so their physical health and fitness is vital to being able to handle what’s thrown at them. Kim Germishuys, EURORSA board…

Interview: Rob Munday, Blackcomb Helicopters and SR3 Rescue Concepts

Oliver Cuenca spoke to Rob Munday, a hoist operator for Blackcomb Helicopters and instructor with SR3 Rescue Concepts, about his two careers, training new helicopter rescue crews, and what makes…

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NEW MILITARY SAR SPECIAL EDITION

Building a military aeromedical evacuation capability

Dr Joetey Attariwala looks in-depth at the latest versions of Royal Canadian Air Force Chinook helicopters, which are proving invaluable in their aeromedical evacuation role in Africa

Medical evacuation in the Canadian Arctic

AirMed&Rescue find out what it takes to operate air medical services in the rugged Canadian Arctic from Keewatin Air

Transitioning from military to civilian life

For many, making the transition from military to civilian life can prove difficult. Lauren Haigh spoke with pilots, search and rescue crew, and flight doctors who have undergone this changeover…

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Dynamic flight risk assessments for SAR

Flight risk assessments in the realm of search and rescue missions should be dynamic, and include the entire crew onboard the helicopter, says Dan Deutermann

Provider Profile: HEMS ops in Sicily

Peter Ten Berg reports on the fleet of helicopters that support primary and secondary medical transfer missions on the Italian island

GALLERY: Dutch Helicopter Command Artic Flight Training

Peter ten Berg reports on how a brief but severe winter chill in the Netherlands allowed the Dutch Helicopter Command unit to perform its flight training, which would normally take…

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

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…

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

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 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…

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

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