This report discusses safety issues identified during the National Transportation Safety Board¿s special investigation of 55 emergency medical services (EMS) aircraft accidents that occurred in the United States between January 2002 and January 2005. Safety issues discussed in this report focus on less stringent requirements for EMS operations conducted without patients on board, a lack of aviation flight risk evaluation programs for EMS operations, a lack of consistent, comprehensive flight dispatch procedures for EMS operations, and no requirements to use technologies such as terrain awareness and warning systems to enhance EMS flight safety. Charts and tables.

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has been accrediting air and ground transport services since 1991. One of the most significant needs the Commission has recognized is to assist transport services in creating a culture that supports safety and quality for both crews and patients. Most of the helicopter EMS (emergency medical service) accidents and many ground ambulance accidents can be attributed to human factors and systems designs that lead to poor decision-making. Management commitment is vital to create and maintain a culture that supports risk assessment, accountability, professionalism and organizational dynamics. This reference book has been created by CAMTS to address this need directly and comprehensively. It offers a groundbreaking collection of expert insights and practical solutions that can be used by EMS, Fire and Rescue, public and private services, and professional emergency and transport professionals worldwide. Quoting from the foreword written by the late Robert L. Helmreich, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The University of Texas Human Factors Research Project, 'This is an important book which should be required reading for everyone involved in patient transport, from managers and dispatchers to those at the sharp end... The experienced and able authors and editors of this work use culture as the overarching concept needed to maximize safety while delivering patients expeditiously.'