FW: URGENT: NEW AIR MEDICAL SAFETY BILL INTRODUCED IN SENATE - PLEASE URGE YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT THE BILL

[Guest guest]

Press Release of Senator Cantwell

Cantwell Determined to Strengthen Air Safety Requirements and Make Our Skies

Safer

Tuesday, July 08,2008

WASHINGTON, DC ­ Today, U.S. Senator Cantwell (D-WA) issued the

following statement regarding the Air Medical Service Safety Improvement Act

of 2008 she introduced this afternoon. The Act will improve safety for

flight crews, flight nurses, and passengers aboard emergency air medical

service helicopters.

Cantwell¹s statement as prepared for delivery:

³I come to the floor today to ask for my colleagues¹ support for the Air

Medical Service Safety Improvement Act of 2008, a measure that redefines our

commitment to improving the safety for the flight crews, flight nurses, and

passengers aboard emergency air medical service helicopters and fixed wing

aircraft.

³These EMS aviation operations provide an important service to the public by

transporting seriously ill patients or donor organs to emergency care

facilities. Each year, on average, air medical companies transport about

350,000 patients by helicopter and 100,000 by fixed wing aircraft.

³Providing emergency air medical service is dangerous work. And,

unfortunately, we have been reminded of this fact all too many times this

year, most recently by the tragic crash in Arizona.

³I first became involved in the issue of emergency air medical service

safety when an EMS helicopter crashed near my hometown in Washington state.

On September 29, 2005, an Airlift Northwest EMS transport helicopter crashed

into the waters of Puget Sound at Browns Bay, just north of Edmonds,

Washington. On board were pilot Steve , and nurses and Lois

Suzuki. There were no survivors. Over time, I have communicated with both

¹s mother and sister about their loss.

³The cause of the crash remains unknown as EMS transport helicopters are not

required to have a ³black box² or flight data recorder on board, and only

part of the helicopter could be recovered from Puget Sound. Some in the area

think the wind, rain, and heavy fog were to blame. Others claim that the

helicopter sounded like it was having engine trouble.

³All we do know is that three people dedicated to saving lives were lost in

the ocean that night. And sadly, their story is not uncommon.

³According to a study by s Hopkins University, one in four medical

helicopters will crash during its 15 years of service. In just the last six

months, there have been nine medical helicopter crashes and 16 deaths.

³This alarming epidemic of accidents has opened the eyes of the Federal

Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board,(NTSB)

and policymakers in recent days. But the recent spike in accidents is not

a new trend. In fact, between January 2002 and January 2005, there were 55

crashes of medical helicopters. On January 25, 2006, the NTSB released a

report identifying recurring gaps in safety that must be addressed,

including:

Less stringent requirements for emergency medical operations conducted

without patients on board;

A lack of aviation flight risk-evaluation programs;

A lack of consistent, comprehensive flight dispatch procedures; and

No requirements to use technologies such as terrain awareness and warning

systems that have the power to enhance flight safety.

³At my request, Section 508 of S.1300, a bill to reauthorize the FAA

incorporated the NTSB recommendations for addressing these gaps. Subsequent

to that bill¹s introduction in the spring of 2007, I had the opportunity to

discuss with stakeholders how to improve upon the language. The bill I am

introducing today is essentially the amendment I filed this May when the FAA

reauthorization bill was on the floor. Given the uncertain status of that

legislation, and in light of the recent events, I felt the urgency to

transform the amendment into standalone legislation.

³This bill will implement new procedures and improve standards already in

place through strengthened safety requirements, comprehensive flight

dispatch and flight following procedures, improved situation awareness of

helicopter air crews, and better data available to NTSB investigators at

crash sites.

³It is time to put black boxes in these helicopters.

³It is time to require the same safety standards regardless of whether or

not a patient is on board.

³It is time to evaluate potential risks before take-off.

³It is time to improve the situational awareness of air medical flight

crews.

³If not, we are bound to witness more tragedies.

³I am committed to these changes and I ask my colleagues to lend their

support in making the skies safer for the men and women who dedicate their

lives to getting critically injured patients the medical attention they

need.

³Thank you, and I yield the floor.²