Studies have been done that show that those who work in the air ambulance industry are working in the most dangerous job in the world. While it is a dangerous industry the Federal Aviation Administration is stepping up efforts to help air ambulance professionals stay safe. Part of what they are doing is giving the pilots themselves the opportunity to determine what is safe and what isn’t. This deregulation of the air ambulance industry has been talked about for some time, however we finally have a date set by the FAA to put the plan into action.

New air ambulance rules for all air ambulance companies will go into effect starting on April 22, 2015. Although many of the new rules are aimed at helicopter air ambulances there are key pieces of the new rules that have a broader impact.

The key change that will take affect in April concerns the weather. Weather is the most dangerous factor is many air ambulance flights. Now, it will be the pilots who will be able to determine whether to take off from sites where weather reports are unavailable. This is especially important for air ambulances that end up in very remote areas. Pilots will now be able to determine if observed visibility and ceiling is greater than the specified minimums and will be able to fly based on those determinations.

The FAA says about 400,000 patients are transported by air ambulance every year. Because these new rules are aimed at helicopters it will greatly improve safety of air ambulance missions that fly at low altitudes. These new rules will help keep patients and staff safer with new technologies like night vision goggles that will assist pilots flying at night.

The delay in the FAA’s implementing of these new rules has led to some frustration in the air ambulance industry. These rules were originally set to go into effect this past April, however the FAA decided to push the rules back another year to give air ambulance companies time to adjust. The Office of Inspector General started to look at air ambulance rules and how they would be implemented starting in 2013.

At Travel Care we are always on the look out for ways to keep our patients and staff safe. We welcome input from the FAA, especially their decision to allow pilots to do what is best for all involved during an air ambulance mission. There are over 75 air ambulance companies in the United States, counting Travel Care, and over 1,500 helicopters flying around. We are confident these new regulations will help pilots better do their jobs.