Contrary to the hopes of most French helicopter EMS operators, French doctors have issued a motion calling for the soon-to-be-mandatory second flight crewmember to be a trained paramedic. New rules at the European level will mandate such a second crewmember, for some operations, beginning in October next year.
The additional cost of a second pilot would be prohibitive for hospitals, in the opinion of the French Association of HEMS doctor-users (AFHSH). The association therefore proposes training a paramedic for those missions when a “second pair of eyes” is needed in the front seats, Nicolas Letellier, president of the AFHSH, told AIN. The new rule will apply when a helicopter carries a patient from an unprepared site to a hospital in day VFR conditions. The person seated next to the pilot would be tasked only with helping him “see and avoid” in the landing phase, under the AFHSH’s proposal.