News


MARCH 2010: The WAMC works together toward Safety and Vision Zero:
    

The WAMC is working with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to develop standardized landing zone guidelines. These standardized guidelines, once complete, will be provided in the new revised “Emergency Traffic Control and Scene Management” guidelines. These guidelines are provided to Traffic Incident Management Partners and Law Enforcement. The members of the WAMC hope this work with the state will provide some universal guidelines and standardize safety practices throughout the state for setting up a helicopter landing zone at the scene of an accident. The WAMC stresses that all law enforcement agencies, Fire and EMS Departments contact their local air medical providers for additional information and education.

All the members of the WAMC have begun to utilize a software program (Weather Turn Down) to notify each other of a flight request that was turned down due to weather. This information is provided in real time. The software assists other programs if they have received a similar request in an effort to prevent helicopter shopping when a flight program has turned down a request to referring agency for weather. It is part of an effort to prevent crashes from weather. This program is part of an initiative through the FAA and a grant provided by MedEac Foundation International to produce the DVD entitled “The Hazards of Helicopter Shopping”. This video was available for flight programs to distribute to their referring customers to prevent this type of tragedy.