EMS safety slow-going at FAA
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its 2010 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements last week, upgrading its assessment

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its 2010 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements last week, upgrading its assessment of  the FAA’s action to improve the safety of emergency medical services (EMS) flights from red (unacceptable response) to yellow (acceptable response-progressing slowly).

NTSB added EMS safety to its Most Wanted List last year and has made a series of recommendations to the FAA aimed at improving the safety of EMS. These included conducting all flights with medical personnel on board in accordance with commercial operating regulations (Part 135); developing and implementing flight-risk evaluation programs; requiring formalized flight dispatch and flight-following procedures, including up-to-date weather information; and installing terrain awareness and warning systems on aircraft.