Flight For Life- ThedaStar Safety Culture
Safety Culture is a culmination of everyone’s attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors throughout the program. Creating a culture that places safety at the forefront of everything we do is our highest priority. Flight For Life – ThedaStar uses a Safety Management System (SMS) daily to promote a culture driven by safety. Flight For Life – ThedaStar’s SMS is an integral part of how we continue to improve policy and procedures and maintain safe operating practices for patients, hospital staff, EMS providers, and Flight For Life – ThedaStar staff.
Landing Zone (LZ) Safety Tips
Whether the LZ is a secured hospital helipad, a paved roadway, or an open field, following a few simple guidelines will help promote the safety of everyone involved in rotor-wing operations.
- When securing an LZ, there are a few things to be mindful of: Overhead obstructions, loose debris (dirt, gravel, trash, etc), and creating a perimeter that can be secured effectively
- Do not approach the aircraft until a crew member motions for you to move toward the aircraft
- Appropriate ear and eye protection is required when operating near an aircraft
- Closed toe, well-maintained footwear is required
- During the day in normal conditions, minimum requirements are 100ft by 100ft. At night or in windy conditions, it is preferred the LZ be at least 150ft x 150ft. In both cases, it is important that the corners of the LZ are marked with strobes or reflective cones.
- Upon landing, a member of the flight crew will assign an aircraft guard and provide them with an instruction card. The role of the this individual is to maintain visual and radio contact with the pilot and notify them if an unauthorized person or vehicle is entering the LZ perimeter.
Please complete the request form if you are interested in scheduling a Landing Zone Training for your hospital or Fire/EMS agency.