Since 2015, We Have Invested Over $100 Million in Safety Programs & Technologies.

• Level D-qualified full-motion helicopter flight simulators
• METI critical care human patient simulators
• Web-based distance learning system to support the local medical education process

At the heart of Air Methods’ safety strategy is a strong desire to establish a collaborative and data-driven approach to manage risk across the entire operation. This begins by establishing policies that support the management of risk, promote safety programs, and continuously improve program quality. Air Methods’ Safety Department is dedicated to ensuring all safety protocols and programs are effective.

Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) includes a voluntary audit every three years to establish we meet and exceed industry-wide standards. These standards address not only the quality of patient care, education of medical personnel, and medical equipment, but also operational and safety concerns. Achieving CAMTS accreditation is a mark of excellence for a critical care transport program. The Air Methods standard is for all CBS programs to earn CAMTS after one year of service.

Air Methods has the largest civilian fleet of helicopters, fully-equipped with night vision goggles (NVGs), XM satellite weather and tracking systems, GPS, and Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS). Air Methods has invested approximately $15 million towards equipping aircraft with Federal Aviation Administration-certified crash-resistant fuel system (“CRFS”).

Air Methods’ Operational Control Center (OCC) monitors every flight operation. During peak hours, this can include 120 active flights at a time. The OCC is available to pilots 24/7 as an aviation resource and a direct link to connect pilots with any member of the Air Methods management team. We always maintain operational control of our fleet at all times and support our pilots before and during the flight.

Operational Control Specialists work with pilots to ensure operational risks are properly recognized and mitigated to acceptable levels prior to any HAA flight beginning. The OCC performs around 14,500 preflight risk analysis during an average month.

Our 360-degree flight monitoring also tracks duty times, flight releases, and flight data. In 2021, Air Methods safely completed over 440,000 take-offs and landings.

• National emergency communications center in Omaha, Nebraska
• Only center of its size and scope in the nation

• Field calls, provides flight coordination, flight following, and logistical support
• AirCom app for customers saves time, improves accuracy, simplifies the process, resulting in better outcomes for patients, hospitals, and crew members

• Patient Safety Action Program (PSAP): Designed internally by the company and modeled similarly to the FAA program
• Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA): Improves safety by providing more information and insight into the total flight operations environment through analysis of recorded flight data; data is analyzed post-flight and adjustments to training and protocols are made; identifies positive/negative events; monitors equipment performance; collect and trend data; yields 1,000 case reviews annually; encourages reporting of all issues; events collected and analyzed for risk mitigation

• Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP)/Maintenance Safety Action Program (MSAP): Fosters a voluntary, cooperative, non-punitive environment for the open reporting of operational safety concerns; reports provide information from a front-line perspective that may not otherwise be available, often leading to positive changes. 
• Alert Line Reports: Anonymous reporting system managed by a third-party vendor and allows reporting by any employee, customer or member of the public
• Internal Evaluation Program (IEP): Evaluated process/procedures from end to end for effectiveness and gaps/deficiencies to improve safety and operations