Airbus Helicopters presented its Vision Zero Aviation Safety award, Jim Charlson Aviation Safety award and the Program of the Year award this week at the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. PHI Air Medical, BJ Miles of Life Flight Network and California Shock Trauma and Rescue (CALSTAR), respectively, received the awards.
The Vision Zero award has been presented annually since 2007. Recognizing a program or company that exemplifies aviation safety and encourages idea sharing, the award comes with a check for $10,000. Arizona-based PHI Air Medical was awarded for its Life-Saving Thinking initiative, initiated company-wide across its more-than-65 bases. This initiative is based on PHI’s 2015 Life-Saving Behaviors program, which addresses behavior actions employees should take to ensure safety. PHI worked with a team of psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists and human brain experts to develop the program. With the award money, The PHI Inc. subsidiary plans to replicate the program, which consists of engagement meetings, industry-wide.
Life Flight Network Director of Safety and Risk Management BJ Miles received the Jim Charlson Aviation Safety Award. This award is sponsored by Airbus and presented by the Assn. of Air Medical Services. With BJ Miles as director of safety and risk management since 2013, Life Flight Network has received accreditation from the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations and Helicopter Assn. International’s Accreditation of Program Safety. The company said it is the first to receive this dual accreditation.
The Program of the Year award is given annually to an emergency medical program for high quality of service. Since 2010, CALSTAR has been redefining its vision, creating changes necessary to fulfill that vision. This includes branding, education, medical care advancements and the development of a patent transfer center. It also includes the 2012 decision to modernize its fleet of 24 EC135 helicopters and King Air B200 fixed-wing aircraft. CALSTAR helped lead the effort in California to enact the Emergency Air Medical Transportation Act, which levied a $4 fee to moving traffic violations. That money goes toward Medicaid payments to air ambulance operators across the state, providing a sustainable solution to stagnant Medicaid payments that have not increased in 22 years.
