Safety
Virginia HEMS Program Reaches Out to Drone Operators
Communicating with local drone operators is helping Carilion Clinic's Lifeguard helicopter EMS program reduce the number of drone encounters.

Carilion Clinic's Lifeguard helicopter EMS program in Virginia knew it had a drone problem and had to do something. Several drone encounters, on scene and near its hospital helipads during both day and night, had delayed patient transports as early as 2015, and with the explosive growth of both recreational and commercial unmanned aircraft into the national airspace, the problem was only going to get worse. Federal regulations to deal with drones were still in their developmental stage, and any meaningful enforcement could be years out.

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