ASTM F2318

This specification covers rotary wing aircraft involved in patient prehospital emergency medical care and transportation. It outlines the minimum requirements, including personnel, and patient care equipment and supplies, that must be met before the aircraft can be classified as a rotary wing air ambulance unit. This specification describes a suitable rotary wing aircraft, which together with the specified personnel, equipment, and supplies, will provide patient care, at least to national standards for basic life support, throughout the medical mission. It applies to all the medical activities that involve rotary wing air ambulance operation at the basic life support level, including on-scene work and interhospital transfer. Application of this specification will ensure that the air ambulance will be able to provide a well-established level of patient care. The rotary wing basic life support air ambulance shall consist of three components: the rotary wing medical transport vehicle, transport personnel, and patient care equipment and supplies in accordance with this specification. The minimum personnel requirement for the rotary wing basic life support air ambulance shall be the FAA flight crew requirement for the aircraft and for each patient, one qualified air-medical crewmember. All pieces of medical equipment and supplies used in rotary wing operations shall be maintained in accordance with the specified requirements.

This abstract is a brief summary of the referenced standard. It is informational only and not an official part of the standard; the full text of the standard itself must be referred to for its use and application. ASTM does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents of this abstract are accurate, complete or up to date.

1. Scope

1.1 This specification covers rotary wing aircraft involved in patient prehospital emergency medical care and transportation. It outlines the minimum requirements, including personnel, and patient care equipment and supplies, that must be met before the aircraft can be classified as a rotary wing air ambulance unit.

1.2 The first part of this specification (Sections through ) describes the minimum aircraft configuration and capability, the minimum number of seats for personnel, and the provisions for the minimum medical equipment and supplies for rotary wing basic life support air ambulances.

1.3 The provisions of this specification plus the provisions of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Annex comprise the specification for rotary wing advanced life support air ambulances.(See Section 1 and 1.1 of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Annex for the scope for rotary wing advanced life support air ambulances.)

1.4 The provisions of this specification plus the provisions of the Advanced Life Support Annex, plus the provisions in the Specialized Medical Support (SMS) Annex comprise the specification for rotary wing specialized medical support air ambulances. (See Sections 1 through 1.3 of the Specialized Medical Support (SMS) Annex for the scope for rotary wing specialized medical support air ambulances.)

2. Referenced Documents

ASTM Standards
D3577 Specification for Rubber Surgical Gloves
D3578 Specification for Rubber Examination Gloves
F1031 Practice for Training the Emergency Medical Technician (Basic)
F1118 Specification for National Air Medical Transport Units Resources Catalog
F1149 Practice for Qualifications, Responsibilities, and Authority of Individuals and Institutions Providing Medical Direction of Emergency Medical Services
F1177 Terminology Relating to Emergency Medical Services
F1219 Guide for Training the Emergency Medical Technician (Basic) to Perform Patient Primary Assessment
F1220 Guide for Emergency Medical Services System (EMSS) Telecommunications
F1229 Guide for Establishing the Qualifications, Education, and Training of EMS, Air-Medical Patient Care Providers
F1555 Guide for Characteristics for Extremity Splints
F1556 Guide for Spinal Immobilization and Extrication (Spined) Device Characteristics
F1557 Guide for Full Body Spinal Immobilization Devices (FBSID) Characteristics
F1558 Guide for Characteristics for Adjunct Cervical Spine Immobilization Devices (ACSID)
F1559 Guide for Characteristics for Cervical Spine Immobilization Collar(s) (CSIC)
F920 Specification for Minimum Performance and Safety Requirements for Resuscitators Intended for Use with Humans
F960 Specification for Medical and Surgical Suction and Drainage Systems
National Fire Protection Association Standards
NFPA99 Electrical Safety
Federal Laws and Regulations
14CFR Chapter 1--Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Rules and Regulations, Parts 1-49 and 61-139; specifically, Subpart 135.19--Emergency Operations, and Subpart 135.271--Helicopter Hospital Emergency Medical Evacuation Services
American National Standards Institute and Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AN
ANSI/AAMISP10 Standard for Automated Sphygmomanometers
FAA Advisory Circulars (AC)
AC135.14 Emergency Medical Services/Helicopter (EMS/H)
Compressed Gas Association (CGA) Standards
CGAV-5 Diameter Index Safety System
Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
CSAStandardZ305.3M Pressure Regulators, Gages and Flow Metering Devices for Medical Gas Systems
Federal Standards/Specifications
DOTSpecificationRR-C-901/3 Cylinders Compressed Gas: With Valve or Plug and Cap; ICC3aa
Underwriters Laboratory (UL)
UL2601-1 Standard for Safety--Medical Electrical Equipment--Part 1: General Requirements for Safety
NTIS Document
USARTL-TR-79-22D Aircraft Crash Survival Design Guide
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
SAEAS1198 Continuous Flow Oxygen Regulator
Military Standards
MIL-STD-1472 Human Factors

Index Terms

ICS Number Code 11.160 (First aid); 49.020 (Aircraft and space vehicles in general)

Citing ASTM Standards

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