Air Ambulance Intel

[Movin' on up!]

Well said Avbug. Anytime you are willing to break a rule just because everybody else does or the company wants you to, or because you can, it makes it more difficult for anyone with cojones to to turn down a flight. I flew in the area spoken of in the other posts, and all the time I was there, I was never pressured to take a flight I deemed dangerous. The good employers in the industry like Air Methods, Metro Aviation, Omni and others, will stand by you and support you if you turn down the flight. The mom and pop operators are the ones who push and it can be seen in their records. My advice to anyone who is flying or wants to fly EMS is to follow the rules, use common sense, and don't get involved with patient specifics. EMS is very hard and unforgiving. More so in that we fly at all hours and in very inclement weather. Don't ask or don't have the crew or dispatch tell you what kind of patient you have...its human nature to want to help, but at times, you need to turn it down. I have had patients die because I turned the flight down. But if weather or other things are so bad that you can't go, you can't go. Like a medcrew once told me.."better one funeral, than four."

 

[Say Again Over]

EMS is very hard and unforgiving.

Ah, another self proclaimed hero, you and avbug are so busy patting yourselves on the back that you can't read or understand the previous posts, and I do stand by my belief that there are very few if any old 135 charter operations that ever complied fully with the regulations, perhaps some pilots were completely unaware of the regulations in the first place.

Some people should get out more, EMS operations are no harder than any other job, pull your head out of the sand and look at some of the scheduled freight operations, VFR operators operating SE in SE Alaska, float plane jobs, these are all examples of jobs that require more skills than EMS.

 

[Movin' on up!]

Yeah yeah...tell you what, go break some other rule, dork!

 

[414Flyer]

Wow you need to quit the assumption BS your making yourself look even more stupid than people already think you are. I don't think it was an accident that your "friends" died avbug they just couldn't put up with a dbag like you anymore and there only way out was "accidentally" dying in a plane crash.

That is an utterly dirtbag comment that has no place on this board. I work in aerial firefighting too, and too many good people have been lost in that field, and for you to just trivialize it with a stupid joke like that, is comtemptable.

 

[414Flyer]

I have flown EMS in the four corners area too, to same same places mentioned in here. There have been some crappy operators out there who would much prefer the pilots ignored a reg or two for a flight.

The one I worked for paid crappy, but I never had any issues with being asked to break regs. One of the other operators, who paid much better, had a much sketchier history out there, and had a chief pilot, who while being probably the nicest guy in the world, had the judgement of a fence post, and dinged airplanes on a regular basis. In addition to making up his own IFR approaches into places like Window Rock and Chinle.

 

[NWaviator]

Anyone know of any places in the Seattle area? I am going to be on the street soon and needing a job. Alos, I am a volunteer firefighter and can handle the decisions that it takes. Thanks.

 

[Movin' on up!]

Try execflight out of Wenatchee WA

 

[414Flyer]

Speaking of questionable practices, I just remembered about another operator I did some work for. I do not think they do any more flying in AZ but they used to go out to Chinle back in the day.

Even though you were expected to be available 24 hours a day, they said as long as the pager bill was in your name, then it was not call - it was that they just happened to be able to get ahold of you. Of course you better have been available 24 hours a day then on those days. Then you just submitted the pager bill back to the company for reimbursement.

The FAA POI they had was totally fine with that you arent really on call if the pager bill was in your name nonsense.

 

[Russ]

When did Suncare in Yuma Az go belly up?

 

[Nolife]

Try execflight out of Wenatchee WA

Heard bad things about them. Be weary and ask lots of questions.

I flew EMS for a while and really loved it. Good pay, QOL, and every now and then you get to be a tiny part of the whole process that saves a persons life (I flew mostly premmies).

That said if there was anything that could potenitally delay the flight in route weather wise inform the crew so if it happens they can deal with it. The patient dying on your watch senario isn't realistic and should never factor in to your decision. People have cheated on approaches before and have killed everyone aboard, patient included. Be a professional and responsible pilot.