Section 515.960 Aircraft Communications and Dispatch Center

Section 515

Section 515.960  Aircraft

Communications and Dispatch Center

a)         The SEMSV Program shall have a designated person assigned and

available 24 hours per day every day of the year to receive and dispatch all

requests for aeromedical services.  For fixed-wing aircraft programs, a

telephone answering service may be used.

b)         Education of the designated person shall be commensurate with

the scope of responsibility of the communications center and pertinent to the

air medical transport service, including:

1)         Knowledge of EMS roles and responsibilities of the various

levels of education;

2)         Knowledge of Federal Aviation Administration and Federal

Communications Commission regulations;

3)         General safety rules, emergency procedures and flight

following procedures;

4)         Navigation techniques/terminology and understanding weather

interpretation;

5)         Types of radio frequency bands used;

6)         Stress recognition and management;

7)         Medical

terminology and obtaining patient information;

8)         Assistance

with all hazards response and recognition procedure using appropriate reference

materials; and

9)         Crew resource

management.

c)         The dispatch center shall have at least one dedicated

telephone number for the SEMSV Program.

d)         A pre-arranged emergency plan shall be in place to cover

situations in which an aircraft is overdue, radio communication cannot be

established, or an aircraft location cannot be verified.

e)         A back-up power source shall be available for all

communications equipment used at the SEMSV Medical Direction point.

f)         The dispatch center shall have a system for recording all

incoming and outgoing telephone and radio transmissions with time recording and

playback capabilities.  Recordings shall be kept for 30 days

established, or an aircraft location cannot be verified.

e)         A back-up power source shall be available for all

communications equipment used at the SEMSV Medical Direction point.

f)         The dispatch center shall have a system for recording all

incoming and outgoing telephone and radio transmissions with time recording and

playback capabilities.  Recordings shall be kept for 30 days.

g)         In addition, for helicopter programs:

1)         The dispatch center shall have the capability to communicate

with the aircraft pilot and aeromedical crew for nonmedical purposes on a

separate designated frequency.

2)         Continuous flight following every 15 minutes shall be

maintained and documented.