Imabell, there are a number of points in your emotive post which deserve to be challenged, however I'll only address 2 of your assertions. Firstly, where do you get the idea that EMS/rescue pilots are motivated to fly in less than ideal conditions, because of the hero factor? That conclusion is both ignorant and insulting. As a former EMS/rescue pilot with a community based operator I can say that all the crew members at my company found the job very satisfying, and were proud to do it, but nobody ever made operational decisions based on whether they would get publicity or be called a hero. In fact I'm sure they all wished every job was straightforward and risk free. The novelty of launching at 2am into s#%t weather soon wears off. Most EMS pilots are older, more experienced guys whose priority is to get the job done with a minimum of risk. A pilot who goes out to be a hero will soon find out that none of the crewmen or ambos will want to fly with him. You also state that all the jobs you mentioned could have been done by ambulance. Rubbish. Most EMS operators are under contract to the respective state government health departments. The helicopter is despatched by the district ambulance controller, not at the whim of the pilot. Of course the pilot has the final say on whether he launches. Before the ambulance controller calls the helicopter the job has to fit certain criteria, such as the availability or otherwise of a road ambulance, the nature and seriousness of the injuries, etc. I can't comment on the specific accidents you mention-I've never heard of half of them, but over the same period that these accidents have occurred there have been literally thousands of successful rescues and hospital transfers carried out. Frankly I'm surprised there haven't been more accidents given the number of missions flown and the conditions they are flown under. I agree that improvements can be made and I don't have personal knowledge of every EMS outfit, but your generalisations regarding accidents and assumptions on what motivates the pilots are ill informed.