News

ShandsCair secures faster options for patient transports during low vis

December 12, 2008

ShandsCair can now transport patients faster and more safely in low-visibility situations. The Federal Aviation Administration has given ShandsCair approval for pilots to land the emergency-transportation program's helicopter during cloudy and low-visibility conditions using only their instrumentation and global positioning system for guidance.

ShandsCair is the first program in Florida to get this FAA approval and has the only helicopter in North Central Florida equipped with the technology to land using instruments.

Prior to this approval - which extends to five strategic landing sites in North and North Central Florida - pilots were required to land at airports during flights with low visibility caused by fog or low cloud ceilings because they needed guidance from the airports' control towers. Patients were then transported by ground vehicles, delaying their arrival at the hospital. This approval enables the designated landing sites, including the rooftop of Shands at the University of Florida, to play the role of control tower.

"Florida weather can be unpredictable and causes us to divert to airport landings quite often. Now we can get patients to their destination much more quickly and safely," said Steve Pierce, one of four pilots contracted by ShandsCair from Air Methods Corp.

The approved landing sites are Shands at UF in Gainesville; Shands Jacksonville; The Villages Regional Medical Center; Shands Live Oak; and a rest area on Interstate 10. The I-10 site provides a rendezvous point for Shands and emergency medical service agencies that are trying to get to Gainesville or Jacksonville with critical patients but need air medical support, said James Howard, ShandsCair clinical coordinator.

"All of the sites were strategically chosen to better encompass the North Central Florida service area where Shands at UF likely would be the destination," Howard said. "This is specifically important for patients who require a higher level of care, such as trauma, burn, pediatric or neurosurgical care."

Howard stressed that while the FAA approval provides pilots with more flexibility, safety remains their top priority.

"We do not plan on flying in bad weather," Howard said. "These instruments give the pilots enhanced capability for flying in marginal forecast conditions, not during thunderstorms."

Unlike airplanes, very few helicopters are certified to be flown in the clouds controlled by pilots using instrumentation only. ShandsCair is one of only three EMS programs in the Southeast with this certification, Howard said.

Plans to get this FAA approval began four years ago when ShandsCair purchased its first helicopter equipped with instruments and a GPS, Howard said.

"We had the technology. We just needed to coordinate the approaches and get FAA approval, and the state was willing to fund the biggest percent of the cost," Howard said.

Florida Department of Health provided a $75,000 grant. Shands put up $25,000 of the cost to hire a contractor, who set up the network of GPS-capable landing sites and oversaw the FAA application and approval process.

Founded in 1981, ShandsCair is an emergency and critical-care transportation program that primarily serves a 14-county area. It is the only one in North Central Florida that offers ground, helicopter and fixed-wing transports. ShandsCair's 40-person staff includes registered nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, pilots, maintenance staff and communication specialists. Its adult and pediatric/neonatal medical teams provide critical interfacility transfers and respond to trauma and emergency calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.