Safety Compass Newsletter 10-2013

8/12/2019 Safety Compass Newsletter 10-2013

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Sugar N SpiceBy David CarrDirector of Safety

OCTOBER 2013

Sugar N Spice

Behind The Toolbox

Catching Zzzs at

Flight Level 350

2013 Incident Stats

f you read Julys newsletter, you were introduced to our Just Culture Program as being the foundation of our saf

culture. In August, part II of Just Culture focused on error control. I want to take space here this month to expand

conversation about our overall safety culture.

These Is Not Like The Other Part I)Wherever we go, we expose ourselves to different cultures. Stop in your local Walmart and you will get

underlying sense of economy. Compare that to a trip to a high end department store. The differences are obvio

So too are the differences between MTC bases. We all operate under the same rules, the FAA, our GOM, protocetc. But there are differences, some subtle, some obvious. Med-Trans has its own culture, and by extension, ea

base has their own, and at many bases, there are subcultures that exist that are different from their host.

Location, Location, Locationt would be an impossible task to have the exact same culture at every one of our bases. And thats okay, even fo

control freak like me. But we all need to know the left and right limits of deviation from the standard. Those limits

spelled out in the regulations, our operations and repair manuals our protocols and our procedures. Our goal the

o be as consistent and standardized as we can throughout our organization, without losing the local flavor each ba

prides itself in. Be it Cajun in LA, country fried everything in the deep south, pine nuts and granola in CO/CA or T

Mex here, having pride in your operation is important, but that local seasoning shouldnt overpower or replace

standardized Med-Trans practices.

These Is Not Like The Other Part Deux)Once upon a time, I flew for a commercial airline, a company with two major hubs. The differences between them

couldnt have been more stark. The corporate headquarters and primary base was in Atlan

with a satellite base in Dallas. The folks flying out of Atlanta loved flying to DFW, but those

us based at DFW detested flying to Atlanta. -One company, two totally different culture

Being the smaller of the two, the DFW hub was a tight knit community. Folks knew ea

other and flew together frequently. Management had a personal and cooperative relationsh

with the employees. We felt like we belonged to a good organization so we cared a lot abo

what went on there. Morale was high (even with low pay) which manifested itself in mon

over month high on-time departure rates, happy customers and low employee turnover. DFmanagement lobbied hard to have one of our jets painted to display our local flavor and w

were proud to get the keys to the DFW mascot:

Atlanta on the other hand was easily twice the size of

the DFW operation. Nobody seemed to know anyone-

or care. Management was not closely involved or

accessible to crewmembers. The air was thick with

mediocrity. The operation wasntagile, professional

or friendly. This culture was reflected in bad attitudes and poor customer service. You coul

feel the difference and so could the paying passengers. Low on-time performance, high in

customer complaints, employee turnover rates that resembled a spinning revolving door.


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Again--one company, two cultures that were polar opposites. Fortunately though, there were a few things that w

had in common. Regardless of which base we belonged to, our rules, procedures, and standardization kept u

heading in the same direction, safely. It didnt matterwho you flew with, once in the cockpit, everything was th

same. I could fly with a guy from DFW or a guy from Atlanta, it didnt matter. Everyone knew exactly what the

duties were and executed them as they had been trained. It didnt matter that I may have never met the other pil

before. We strapped in, and I knew exactly what the guy in the other seat was going to do and say, and he/sh

could expect the same from me. Each base had its own flavor, but when it came to how we did business in th

pointy end of the jet, you couldnt tell us apart. The regulations, our operations manuals and our procedures we

the safety rules of the roaddeviations to add in a little local seasoning were unacceptable.

-Dont Try This t Home KidsI Am A ProfessionalWe all want to show that we are the best at what we do. Individualism is important and if you have a better wa

of designing a mousetrap, we want to know. But its not impressive or professional for an employee to disrega

the way MTC requires a task to be performed. True professionals in any line of work prove their worth and skill b

doing their job the way it is supposed to be done, not by how they feel like doing itor how they di d it somewhe

else. Safe operations start with employees who live the phrase: We do it by the book here.

-All My Heroes Are CowboysLet me leave you with one final thought. I started out in HEMS with another company in 2009. My first order

business was to get a feel for our lifesaving mission. So, I went on a watching and listening tour of our base

Luckily for me, my timing was perfect as I had a chance meeting with the most senior flight nurse in the compan

an employee who had over the years, gained enormous respect among his peers. I asked him what his bigge

safety concern was. Paraphrasing, his response was this. He was worried about the pilots we were hiring.

seemed to him that new pilots coming in didnt have the same skills, like flying under a set of wires to get into

tight LZ, sub-3 minute lift off times, flying at treetop level to stay under low ceilings, or having to

use checklists to start and shutdown the aircraft. Seriously, those were the examples he chose

to define piloting skill.

His view of professionalism was exactly the opposite of mine. He was confusing the actions of a

rogue pilot with skill and professionalism. That was the seasoning he was sprinkling around his

base. What is the culture are you fostering through your words, actionsand personal standards?

BEHIND THE TOOL BOXAnonymous

Its 2 oclock in the morning. I am dialing the phone to my base mechanic to report the aircraft is out of servic

This is not the first time I have called him in the middle of the night, nor will it be the last.

We often overlook the important role our mechanics play as we go about our business of saving the lives critically ill or injured patients. It is us, pilots and medical crew members who often take the credit for a job we

done. We receive thanks and praise from our patients and family members who may even refer to us as heroes

angels from above.

Little do we think about those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us safe. Those who seldom get

thank you from the doctors and nurses who will say, Were glad you are here. Thank you for coming, or from th

rescue squad member who will say, Thank you for getting here so quick.

We will always be thankful when our mechanic is called in to fix a broken helicopter. Even more thankful when w

did something stupid to break it, but how many times do we take routine maintenance for granted. How often do

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we think about all of the training and all of the years of experience our mechanics have that goes into keeping

hese multi-million dollar aircraft airworthy. Nothing to them is routine. Behind every turn of a screw, every safety

wire or a final inventory of his tools and with every drop of sweat is a loyal, conscientious, hard-working profession

who is an integral part of the team.

We are fortunate to work for a company that places safety above all else. We are also fortunate to have the be

and the brightest in our maintenance side of the house. From Josh and Les and our Regional Maintenan

Managers all the way down to our newest mechanic. To all of you we say thank you for keeping us safe. Tha

you for all the long hours away from your families while you maintain our highly complex fleet, and thank you f

coming in at 2 oclock in the morning especially when I do something stupid.

The next time someone thanks me for doing a job I love to do, I will remember to extend

hat thanks to my mechanic. As part of the team, you deserve it. I might even share

with you, that fruit basket I get every now and then.

- This ar t ic le has been anonymou sly subm i t ted by a very gratefu l p i lo t -

CATCHING ZzzS AT FLIGHT LEVEL 350

LONDON - More than half of Britain's airline pilots have fallen asleep in the cockpit and a third have woken up to

ind their co-pilot asleep, according to a new survey. The poll of 500 pilots commissioned by the British Airline

Pilots' Association (BALPA) also found that 43 percent believed tiredness had compromise

their ability to fly a plane at least once a month for the last six months. Some 56 percent

admitted they had fallen asleep during a flight and 29 percent said they had woken up to finthe other pilot had also dozed off, according to the ComRes poll.

The survey comes after it emerged that both the captain and co-pilot of an Airbus A330

plane fell asleep at the same time while it was on autopilot during a flight by an unnamed

British operator on August 13. The Civil Aviation Authority said one of the pilots had reporte

hat the pair had only five hours' sleep each for the previous two nights.

Nearly half of the pilots questioned by the BALPA -- 49 percent -- identified tiredness as the biggest threat to flight

safety, while a third said their airline's culture discouraged them from reporting their tiredness.

Source:http://www.interaksyon.com/article/71677/half-of-british-airline-pilots-fall-asleep-on-the-job-survey

DONT WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE

A 10 TO LET SOMEONE KNOW!

OCTOBER 20
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/71677/half-of-british-airline-pilots-fall-asleep-on-the-job-surveyhttp://www.interaksyon.com/article/71677/half-of-british-airline-pilots-fall-asleep-on-the-job-surveyhttp://www.interaksyon.com/article/71677/half-of-british-airline-pilots-fall-asleep-on-the-job-surveyhttp://www.interaksyon.com/article/71677/half-of-british-airline-pilots-fall-asleep-on-the-job-survey


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The Med-Trans Safety Compass monthly newsletter

is one method we have of communicating with every

employee. We want this newsletter to be a forum for

fostering a culture of informing and learning.

I welcome your suggestions on topics you would like

to see addressed here. Better yet, send me your

article and I will get it added in the next issue.

Feel free to contact me by phone or email, my virtual

door is always open.

David Carr

Director of Safety

If you have a safety concern, or if something in your operation doesnt seem right, you have tools available. First,spea

up! Get your supervisor involved. Submit a hazard report/Safety Concern. If you are uncomfortable with either of thos

options, you can submit your concerning via our compliance hotline anonymously at:

800 399 2319.

Director of SafetyDavid [email protected]

The Med Trans Leadership TeamChief Operating OfficerRob [email protected]

Director of OperationsBert [email protected]

VP, Program OperationsConnie [email protected]

Director of MaintenanceJosh [email protected]

Chief PilotDon [email protected]

Assistant Chief PilotMike [email protected]

VP, Flight OperationsBrian [email protected]

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Safety Compass Newsletter 10-2013

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