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Safety Sessions

Everything Was Perfect...Until It Wasn't: Lessons Learned from Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance

   Scott McClain, FP-C, B.S. - Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance   
   Denise Baylous, MSN, RN, CCRN, CFRN, NRP - Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance   
   Joe Sherman, M.S., B.S. - Metro Aviation, Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance

On March 3, 2020, while on short final to a prepared LZ, Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance encountered a wire and nearly scarred its impeccable 40-year safety record. Join an all-encompassing review of the event, the lessons learned, cockpit and landing zone video, post-incident debriefings, and sharing the story on social media.

All Say GO Because No One Said NO

   Kenneth Cerney, HAA Pilot - Leader-Team Dynamics LLC

The saying "all to say GO because no one said NO" is a well-known slogan for HAA crews to use as a means of expression where everyone on the crew has a say in whether to take a flight or not. But how does someone speak up if he/she feels he/she can’t or are not willing to speak up for any number of reasons only they may know? Now we have a situation where ALL say GO, Because NO-ONE said NO. And this is far more dangerous. This is the paradox found on teams called “The Abilene Paradox”. Whether in the helicopter, the emergency department, the office or at home, the Abilene paradox can lead disastrous results for teams, crews, patients, or bystanders. Come join this session as we take a humorous look at this not-so humorous-paradox that can afflict teams and crews of all types; from those that have been together for a while to those new to the team.

Diversity IS a Safety Enhancement

   Kenneth Cerney, HAA Pilot - Leader-Team Dynamics LLC

Diversity seems to be pushed into every aspect of our lives these days. So, what does diversity have to do with aircraft safety? More than you know! However, when it comes to flight safety the physical attributes of diversity must take a back seat to mental or cognitive diversity. Come find out what Cognitive diversity is and how that differs from and is similar to what we are being told to think about diversity. Discover how a truly diverse crew can give you an edge when it comes to safety and effectiveness in the Helicopter Air Ambulance (HAA) industry as well as any helicopter industry with rated and non-rated crewmembers. You may start seeing yourself and others differently.

Don't Go Away Mad: Just Go Away! (Just Kidding)

   Sarah Barber, FP-C, BS in Psychology - Life Flight Network   
   Casey Seckel

Completion of a Post-Transport Debrief following every patient transport is an essential component of ensuring a medical transport company's ongoing safety and quality improvement. It provides an opportunity to review any and all aspects of the mission with a focus on what went well and where things should have or could have been done better. The emphasis is always on learning. The aviation industry has long supported post-flight debriefs, but the healthcare industry lags when it comes to debriefing scenarios related to patient care. As such, the medical transport industry is uniquely positioned to develop a standardized post-transport debrief that encompasses the same key elements every time. A thorough debrief will include formal written documentation and a more casual discussion among individuals involved in the mission (pilot, clinical crew, communication specialists, and organization management). This session will explain why the Post-Transport Debrief is a crucial part of Crew Resource Management, why there might be obstacles to completing the Post-Transport Debrief, and how to overcome those obstacles through application of communication tools, psychology, and company culture.

Practical Survival Systems for Air Medical Transport Teams

   Lance Taysom, BSN, CEN, CFRN, EMT-P, WEMT - Air Idaho Rescue   
   Cami Taysom, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, WEMT - Air Idaho Rescue

Practical Survival Systems for Air Medical Teams Rapidly changing weather, headwind, low fuel, wrong coordinates, engine failure, chip light, or any number of other reasons, are how an air medical team can unexpectedly find themselves grounded, far from resources. With careful planning, good gear, and experiential based training, crews can face long survival hours or perhaps a night in an austere environment, with confidence and competence. In this lively presentation, speakers will bust some common survival myths while discussing the practical realities of modern survival skill and equipment needs for rotor and fixed-wing air medical teams. They will show examples of survival gear systems being used in the Air Idaho Rescue program aircraft. Come learn what it takes to run an effective survival program based on current best practices relevant to the Air Medical operational environment. Walk away with training curriculum resources and ideas and get your hands on some examples of survival tools that work.

The Wizard of Oddz: A Statistical Analysis of HEMS Accidents and Risk

   Ira Blumen, MD - UCAN, UChicago Medicine

Have we achieved Vision Zero? While the past two years have seen dramatic improvements, since 1998, the HEMS community has averaged nearly 11 accidents and 4 fatal accidents every year. In one year alone, our accidents took the lives of 29 people. Despite the opportunity for lessons learned, new policies, practices and recommendations from various sources, we continue to see HEMS accidents every year and we continue to have more questions than answers. Do you have the answer? Does your program? Your aviation operator? Our community? The FAA or the NTSB? Sadly, one thing is certain there will be more accidents. What are we doing about it and what are you doing to improve your odds to avoid being the next accident? This annually updated presentation will provide a statistical analysis of HEMS programs, the number of helicopters, total flight hours and annual accidents. Most important, the presentation will provide the most accurate calculation of HEMS accident rates and fatal accident rates available. The presentation will conclude with an overview of numerous risk number of accidents and improve overall HEMS safety.

Honora Parate: Reflections on the Loss of Life Flight Three

     Christina M. Shelton, BSN, RN, CCRN, CEN, NRP, CMTE - Duke Life Flight

How do you respond to the worst day imaginable for your program? Duke faced this question when it experienced the tragic loss of three crew members and a patient on September 8th, 2017. The next several months brought Life Flight dark days and the team had to develop resiliency to continue their mission. To honor the crew lost, to repay the support received from the HEMS industry and EMS community, Christina will share some of her experiences and how going forward the goal is to help prepare others for the day that all hope never comes. The emphasis is raising industry awareness for personal and program preparedness prior to tragedy.