Landing Zone Set Up Information

REQUESTING CARE FLIGHT

1. Call 800-648-4888, Or Use Your Dispatch Center.
2. Be Prepared To Give The Following Information:
   1. Agency Name
   2. Agency Call Back Number
   3. Location:  Use latitude & longitude whenever possible. Include any prominent geological features or identifiable (from the air) structures close to your location. If you have a pre-determined LZ, give us that information. Ski areas should identify which lift, run, or pre-determined LZ we should plan to use. Include any other information that may help us determine the need for special resources, such as backcountry location, need for SAR or multiple helicopters. If you are in a residential or suburban area, please include the street name with cross streets.
   4. Patient Information:  Patient complaint or problem, age, sex, and estimated weight. If you have more than one patient needing Care Flight, let us know ASAP along with each patient’s estimated weight.
      
   5. Radio Frequency and Contact Information:  Unit number, radio frequency, and “line of sight” (simplex) frequency if you use one for ground-to-air communications (i.e. White Fire 1 or Calcord). Care Flight will not be able to listen to scene radio traffic on a simplex frequency until we are “line of sight”. The Care Flight pilot will talk to you when the aircraft is approximately 5-7 minutes out, so be prepared to give your LZ information and notify the pilot when you have the aircraft in sight.

LANDING ZONE PREPARATION

1. THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA IS NO OVERHEAD WIRES OR POLES NEAR THE LZ.
   
2. Check for overhead hazards 300’ around perimeter. Assure LZ area is clear of all debris, people, and vehicles.
3. Landing Zone (LZ) area should be 100’ x 100’ day or night and reasonably flat.
   
4. No poles, antennas, or loose debris in the immediate vicinity of the landing zone (LZ).
   
5. LZ slope should not exceed the comparable grade of our local paved mountain highways. If unsure, inform the pilot and he/she will decide.
   
6. Consider any nearby hazardous materials such as fuel or chemical spills. Care Flight will NOT land in the immediate vicinity. We will NOT land DOWN-WIND or DOWN-SLOPE from any HAZMAT situation.
   Consider the possibility of incapacitation to the helicopter crew or hazard to the aircraft.
   
7. Prepare everyone for blowing debris, sand, dirt (light wetting may help) and snow as the helicopter gets close to landing. Shield yourself and your patient. Secure any loose items such as ball caps, blankets, sheets, or clothing.
   
8. Night Operations: Care Flight utilizes Night Vision Technology. Be prepared to turn vehicle lights off if requested to do so by the pilot. When using vehicle headlights to illuminate the scene, they should be pointed INTO the wind. Weighted strobes work well at the LZ perimeter. Smoke may be used to identify the LZ location at ski areas during winter months only when snow covered.
   
9. LZ Officer: a designated LZ Officer will be useful. This individual will be responsible for communicating all landing zone information to the pilot. Please assure that this individual has been trained in ground-to-air communications. The LZ officer should be prepared to exit the LZ area when asked to do so by the pilot. Care Flight will not land within any LZ if personnel or vehicles are moving inside the perimeter.
   
10. The pilot is the ultimate authority to determine if the landing zone is safe to use. It is possible that he/she will see obstacles or hazards that you may have missed, due to the additional view from the air. It is the pilot’s responsibility to operate the aircraft with the safety of all air and ground personnel as the priority! We will land where you designate, as long as the Care Flight staff deem it is safe to do so.

LANDING ZONE SAFETY

***THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT POINT IS NEVER TO GO NEAR THE REAR OF THE HELICOPTER***

1. Care Flight policy is to remain running whenever possible. This provides the patient with a quicker turn-around time back to the receiving hospital, and definitive care. Therefore, someone MUST be designated as LZ Safety Officer. This person is usually the ground contact individual who will be landing the aircraft.
   
2. Crowd and vehicle control are the primary concerns around a running helicopter. Establish a perimeter around the LZ and keep all non-essential personnel and vehicles out of the area until the aircraft departs.
   
3. NEVER run within the LZ. All personnel approaching the aircraft MUST receive the OK from the pilot or medical crew before entering under the rotor disk.
   
4. ALWAYS approach the helicopter towards the front, unless directed otherwise by the medical staff or pilot.
   
5. NEVER approach the aircraft from the rear, or 6 o’clock position. Contact with the tailrotor is FATAL! Engine exhaust is 600-800 degrees Celsius!
   
6. No hats, IV poles, loose bedding or clothing around the aircraft when it is running.
   
7. When loading the patient into the helicopter, positioning rescuers of similar height across from one another will maintain balance and minimize the chances of tipping the patient. SECURE THE AMBULANCE GURNEY.
   
8. Except for extraordinary circumstances, we do not take family, friends or riders when transporting a patient.
   
9. When speaking with the pilot about the LZ, ALWAYS mention if other aircraft have been requested to the same location. ALWAYS mention hazards immediately adjacent to the LZ perimeter.
   
10. It may take a few minutes to depart once the patient is loaded because of patient care, securing equipment, etc.
    Please maintain perimeter safety of the LZ until Care Flight is airborne.
    
11. If the Care Flight helicopter should experience a “Hard Landing” or is damaged, NEVER approach the aircraft until all machinery has stopped moving! If a fire ensues, fire suppression and rescue efforts should be conducted in accordance with all FD training and procedures. DO NOT BECOME PART OF THE ACCIDENT!
    
12. We appreciate your assistance and your request for Care Flight to transport your patient! We will make every effort to assure that your procedures are followed. Please contact any crewmember with suggestions on ways Care Flight might improve service to you. www.remsa-cf.com or CareFlightSafety@remsa-cf.com.