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NTSB weighs safety options for EMS helicopters
[September 01, 2009] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal safety officials are weighing recommendations aimed at preventing emergency medical helicopters from taking lives instead of saving them.
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The National Transportation Safety Board is meeting Tuesday to vote on 19 proposals to make the transport of patients, medical crews and donated organs safer. The board has spent a year investigating the safety of what is known as the air ambulance industry. This was prompted by a spate of nine helicopter crashes between December 2007 and October 2008 that claimed 35 lives. The recommendations include better pilot training and the use of night vision imaging systems. A more thorough collection and analysis of flight, weather and safety data also is recommended. |
