Standards Developed For Services That Provide SAR And Personnel Recovery operations

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) awarded its first ever Special Operations Accreditation on Jan. 24, 2020 to Burleson, Texas-based Air Center Helicopters. CAMTS developed and approved accreditation standards in 2019 for services that provide Search and Rescue and Personnel Recovery operations often contracted by the government to assist military and paramilitary operations in remote parts of the world.

“We are particularly pleased to award this new full accreditation to Air Center Helicopters, opening a whole new sector of operations dedicated to increasing safety in patient transportation,” said CAMTS Executive Director Eileen Frazer. “This landmark accreditation signifies CAMTS’ continued growth and acceptance as the gold standard in medical transportation safety.”

For more than 30 years, U.S. owned and operated small business Air Center Helicopters, Inc. (ACH) has provided aviation services, performing multiple mission profiles for a diverse customer base in various challenging expeditionary environments around the world. ACH is an FAA Part 133, 135, 137, and 145 certified aviation service provider with a vastly experienced team in performing difficult missions in some of the most austere environments. Since 1986, ACH has provided reliable airlift services for government and commercial customers including personnel recovery and casualty evacuation (PR/CASEVAC), at-sea vertical replenishment (VERTREP), logistics, scientific research, tactical training, search and rescue operations, land, wildlife and utility surveys, wildfire logistics support, and firefighting, along with operating a full-service maintenance facility.

ACH is currently providing expeditionary rotary wing aircraft services in support of personnel recovery and casualty evacuation (PR/CASEVAC) in Northwest Africa. Medical teams consist of two paramedics, many with previous special operations backgrounds. All medics are national registered paramedics (NRP) with BLS, ACLS, PALS, and PHTLS certifications, while crews are certified in tactical combat casualty care to meet mission profiles. All paramedics are additionally trained in hoist operations and in vehicle extrication.

In addition to these PR/CASEVAC services, ACH also provides rotary wing DoD Commercial Airlift Review Board certified services for the Military Sealift Command’s Commercial VERTREP programs worldwide, and Shipboard Test and Evaluation services for Naval Sea Systems Command and for passenger and cargo operations in Afghanistan in support of the US Army LOGCAP IV Program.

Other government contracts include support for the National Science Foundation’s U.S. Antarctica Program based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Air Center Helicopters’ fleet of aircraft includes Airbus H225 Super Puma, AS332L1 Super Puma, and AS350B3e; Bell 412EP, 407, and 206 helicopters; and fixed wing aircraft customized to meet mission specific needs in diverse and austere environments. The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) is dedicated to improving the quality of patient care and safety of the transport environment for services providing rotorwing, fixed wing and ground transport systems.

To achieve accreditation by CAMTS, medical transport programs must adhere to CAMTS's standards, developed and continually improved by a board of highly skilled and experienced medical and medical transportation professionals. Adherence to these standards, which are above and beyond regulatory requirements, are audited every three years to assure program compliance to remain accredited by CAMTS. Nearly 200 services have achieved CAMTS accreditation.

(Source: CAMTS news release)

FMI: www.camts.org