Cited For Efforts To Improve Safety And Quality Of Service

Airbus Helicopters recently honored leaders of the air medical transport industry Monday for their efforts to improve safety and quality of service.

Terry Palmer, Director of the Helicopter Flight Training Center at Metro Aviation Inc., in Shreveport, LA received the Jim Charlson Aviation Safety Award. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions promoting aviation safety within the air medical transport community.

REACH Air Medical Services, headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, was named Program of the Year. The award is given each year to an emergency medical services program that has demonstrated superior levels of safety consciousness, patient care, quality leadership, and community and industry service.

Jennifer Hardcastle, Air Medical Sales Manager for Airbus Helicopters Inc., presented the awards at the Air Medical Transport Conference Annual Community Awards event in Long Beach, Calif. “At Airbus Helicopters Inc., we believe it is important to recognize individuals and companies that through their initiatives and hard work have raised the bar for excellence in safety and quality in the air medical industry,” Hardcastle said.

A long time professional pilot, Palmer has spent more than a decade working to improve helicopter safety through proactive training.

Under Palmer’s leadership, the Helicopter Flight Training Center has developed relationships with industry experts to provide quality training initiatives and procure top-of-the-line simulators. The center, which opened in 2012, uses a cost-effective “train the trainer” program. It now trains customers from Shreveport to Beijing.

Most recently, Palmer led the development of the CommLab, a state-of-the-art communication simulations center. CommLab provides training for communications specialists to hone their skills, communicate in real time with pilots training in simulators, and share experiences with other communications specialists from across the country. The center is the first of its kind in the industry.

Additionally, Palmer has developed innovative courses for Air Medical Resource Management and is the chairperson of the Helicopter Association International Training Committee, an industry group that works to establish standards for increased safety in flight training.

“I am truly honored to receive this award, which I dedicate to everyone who recognizes the importance of training in a successful safety program,” Palmer said. “We know that proper training is the key to improving safety and reducing the number of crashes, and we are working diligently to provide such training.”

Founded in 1987, REACH Air Medical Services is a leading provider of high-quality emergency patient care with a strong emphasis on safety for patients and flight crews. REACH, headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, provides rotary wing, fixed wing, and ground ambulance transportation from 33 bases in California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Texas.

REACH demonstrates its commitment to the air medical community through legislative efforts for improved marking and illumination of meteorological towers throughout California to enhance aviation safety. Each year, the company educates more than 1,000 nurses and paramedics at REACH on Tour conferences and hosts a specialized Pediatric & Neonatal Transport Consortium with hospital specialty teams and other air providers promoting best practices.

The company has implemented several important safety initiatives. They include: fleet-wide use of Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS) and Night Vision Goggle (NVG) capabilities; self-imposed weather minimum increases; pilot training above the requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration; pre- and post-flight risk assessment tools, and a robust companywide emergency notification system.

Sean Russell, President of REACH Air Medical Services, said the company operates with the expectation that “in every situation we do what is right for the patient.”

“With that principle at the core of our existence, REACH associates have created an admired culture, one that based on integrity, dedication, teamwork and a sense of community,” Russell said. “To receive the Program of the Year award truly serves as a testament to this culture, as well as everyone’s hard work. I offer thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone at REACH for all they do every day for our patients and each other.”

(Source: Airbus Helicopters news release)

FMI: www.airbushelicopters.com