Air Ambulance Fleet Gains Wireless Comm Suite

A new upgrade for Utah's largest, most well known aerial medical provider has simplified airborne medical operations, improving their communications with a cordless, streamlined intercom system. Salt Lake City's Life Flight air ambulance service equipped their new Leonardo A109SP helicopters with Axnes PNG Wireless Intercommunication Services (WICS) for ease of use, safety, situational awareness, and communications both in and out of the aircraft.

Accurate, clear crew comms are vital in the rocky mountain rescues often flown to by the service, fraught with densely wooded forest and unforgiving cliff faces. Life Flight's operational tempo averages 4,000 transports per year in their service under Intermountain Health Care, making each part of their systems vital for patient safety. 

Life Flight has simplified its crew comms with the provision of the WICS, allowing for each member of the crew, from medical care to flight, the ability to clearly and safely relay orders, requests, or treatments without entangling cables obfuscating patient care. Fewer snag hazards and increased freedom of movement have eased the process of patient transfer when seconds count, says Brett Gardner, VP at Axnes. 

“By using our WICS technology as a wireless intercommunication extension system, PNG technology brings unprecedented capabilities to the crew and demonstrates a proven operational benefit. The equipment is easy to operate and significantly enhances safety. The PNG system enables line-of-sight wireless communication with full AES 256 grade encryption for secure transmission as well.”

Life Flight is eager to make use of the PNG. “We operate high-performance helicopters in very challenging terrain, climate and altitude. Safety is very important for us and therefore we always look for new technology and equipment that significantly enhances our operation and safety of our crews,” said Jim Zobell, clinical operations specialist at IHC's Life Flight program. “We selected the Axnes PNG wireless intercom as it provides full-duplex wireless ICS capability, allowing for crew communication inside and outside of the aircraft in the most severe noise environments, which is vital in the environments in which we operate on a day-to-day basis.”

FMI: www.axnes.com, www.intermountainhealthcare.org