Mate, I dont think you have the "potential" to learn or relax your anti-EMS vitriol, but for the benefit of others reading this forum, in my orginal reply I used the words "potentially risky" deliberately.
Those of us who are professionals in this industry accept the challenge of making the potentially risky into benign by a combination of training, equipment, knowledge, use of crew resources (from aircrew, medical crew, engineering spt to tasking agencies and head office support staff). A part of this is the ability and backing to say no when the numbers dont add up. Herin there is no need to blame your "ground borne(?)" taskers, because the descision to fly rests with the captain (in what part of the industry does this rule not apply? Yours?).
Unfortunately, as you say, accidents do and have happened. And in a small fleet too (although I cant think of any operators in EMS that could start a year with 7 machines, and end the year having pranged 12!!). No matter how safe a system is, it is a statistical reality that aircraft, if they are flown, will crash a percentage of the time.
I'm sure I'm not alone in taking offence at you smering the professionalism of EMS operators, and more importantly those of friends and collegues who have been caught and killed on the sharp end of this reality for whatever reason. "probably no more than an excuse to throw caution and intelligence out the window with baby, bathwater, regs and all". Not going to grace that sweeping accusation with any more comment. Fool.
Finally, assuming that you could make the definition between "potential risk" and "realised risk", which of the following would you say carry no POTENTIAL risk (and have never suffered any form of accident)?
mustering, spraying, tourism ops, fire bombing, police ops, military ops, EMS, filming, offshore oil support, training or private flight ops?
This is a profession, as the name of this forum suggests. We provide a paying, aviation unqualified public with any a multitude of services that are in essence potentially risky.The reason that its a profession is that those involved, from Aircrew to hangar rats, accept the responsability of managing this risk on behalf of those who place their trust, and lives, in our hands.
Rant over. TET I dont plan to answer whatever further rubish you plan to dump on the industry. Come to think of it, you're probably just an outsider fishing for jollies with inflamatory comments. Hope you enjoyed it.
Last edited by w_ocker; 19th Mar 2006 at 01:49.