Statistics can explain almost any side of an argument. Many have mentioned the tempo of US HEMS operations. Unless you have lived within our system it is hard to grasp the magnitude of what actually transpires each and every day and evening. At AMC alone there is an aircraft airborne with a patient continuously 24/7. For the most part the decisions to transport do not reside with the aircrews but with hospital staff and first responders. It is kind of a, you call, and we haul system. As such, the final responsibility for the actual conduct of flight resides with the PIC. He or she is given a whopping 3-5 minutes to decide GO versus NOGO.