I found this interesting in that I agree with the main points of the Senate Bill except the CVR thing but I guess AAMS has effective alternatives.
AAMS MEMBER ALERT-
HEMS SAFETY PROPOSAL IN SENATE FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL
Upon reviewing the recently proposed Senate bill for the reauthorization of the FAA, the “Aviation Investment and Modernization Act of 2007” or S. 1300, AAMS found a section devoted entirely to helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) safety. This section, referred to in the bill as Section 508, Increasing Safety for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Operations directs the FAA to enact a plan, within 60 days from the enactment of the Act, to require HEMS operations to:
1.) Comply with Part 135 regulations on all flights in which medical crewmembers are on board.
2.) Comply with a standardized Risk Assessment checklist based on Notice 8000.301.
3.) Comply with an FAA standardized “flight dispatch” program based on Part 121 regulations.
4.) Require that all aircraft ordered or purchased after the date of the enactment of the Act be equipped with helicopter terrain alert warning systems, or H-TAWS.
5.) Equip all HEMS aircraft with Cockpit Voice Recorder /Cockpit Data Recorder (CVR/CDR) within 2 years.
The full text of the bill is available on the Library of Congress website
http://thomas.loc.gov/ and entering the bill number, S. 1300 in the search line. The bill will also be made available on the government relations portion of the website, along with supporting information, in the coming days.
These requirements are precisely, except for the CVR/CDR provision, the safety recommendations made by the NTSB last year. A copy of the AAMS response to those recommendations is available on the AAMS website at
www.aams.org.
In that response, AAMS made clear its position against these proposals, while maintaining a commitment to safety and suggesting numerous more effective safety alternatives.
This bill was introduced by Senator Rockefeller of West Virginia and is co-sponsored by Senators Lott of MS, Inouye of HI, and Stevens of AK. AAMS is currently scheduling meetings with these Senate offices in order to develop an understanding among Senate staff of the cost, implications, and unintended consequences of these proposals. AAMS is also drafting a response to this proposal and is considering offering alternatives to these proposals based on the AAMS legislative agenda. Both the AAMS Government Relations Committee and the AAMS Safety Committee have been alerted to this situation since the bill was released and are working to resolve the issue.
As this bill progresses through the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, AAMS will keep the membership informed and call upon members for grassroots support. Please refer to the government relations portion of the AAMS website for more information on the AAMS response to the NTSB recommendations, the AAMS Congressional issue papers, and more information on this proposal.
Thank you,
Christopher Eastlee
Government Relations Manager
Association of Air Medical Services