The landing zone (LZ) should be free of overhead obstructions (wires, trees, etc.), people, street signs, basketball goals, fence posts and other ground debris. A broad inspection of the area should be made to locate and remove any debris if necessary. Pop cans, small tree limbs, plastic trash cans, etc. can be picked up by the rotor wash of the helicopter and become potential hazards to everyone near the scene. Usually the aircraft will make a fly-over of the landing zone to double check for any potential hazards before making their approach into the landing zone.
The surface of the landing zone should be relatively smooth with no more than a 10-degree slope. If the LZ is dusty or there is freshly cut grass present, the fire department may lightly wet down the area to reduce the amount of blowing debris during the landing.
During the day it is more difficult to find the scene (we can see emergency vehicle lights much easier at night), so good communication is very important. If we are having difficulty finding the scene, it is very helpful when you hear or see our aircraft approaching your scene to tell us we need to turn north, south, east or west. Being as descriptive as possible will assist us greatly in getting on the ground as quickly as we can.
During night operations, scenes are more easily identified due to the emergency lighting on the vehicles, however our view of overhead wires or other obstructions is not as good at night. The pilot may elect to do one or more flights over the landing zone checking for hazards before starting his approach into the landing zone. Be sure to communicate the presence of all obstructions on scenes. NOTE: When the helicopter is approximately 150 feet off the ground, TURN OFF ALL HEADLIGHTS that may be illuminating the landing zone or they may temporarily blind the pilot during landing.
While enroute to your scene, the flight crew will contact you on the radio frequency that your dispatch provided to us for an initial report about your scene. Please provide them with a brief description of the landing zone, all hazards surrounding the landing zone, particularly power lines, towers, trees or fences, and any brief information on the patient that you may have available. Remember: Objects viewed from the air are much smaller and harder to see, particularly items like street signs and mile markers, which are very hard to see while in flight.
Tulsa Life Flight offers our ground crew training program for emergency services and public safety agencies. We will come to your location and provide helicopter operations and landing zone safety information to your group. For more information or to schedule a ground crew training session, please click here or use the button below for an online form to request scheduling for ground crew training.
Ground crew safety
Protect yourself and the patient during takeoff and landing.
Hazardous materials
Please do not assume the flight crew is aware of any hazardous materials that are involved, whether poisonous, irritants, toxic, flammables or any potential hazarous materials . If you are aware of any hazardous materials at your scene, please notify our Dispatch Center prior to our arrival if possible.
Your fire/rescue personnel must clear the patient from any chemicals that may contaminate the crew. The helicopter flight crew does not carry any protective suits or gas masks/respirators. A contaminated patient cannot be loaded into or transported by helicopter until they have been effectively decontaminated first.
Remember: Decontamination of the patient is required for crew safety prior to transport
Emergency Procedures
In the event of an aircraft accident at the scene:
Know the basics
Entering the Aircraft
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