Drill Not Communicated to Center

An EMS helicopter company’s drill to test how their dispatchers reacted to an overdue chopper was flawed in only one way–administrators failed to notify their own dispatchers that it was a drill. Officials of STAT MedEvac told the pilot to set down in rural Adams County (Penn.), simulating a lost or overdue helicopter. MedEvac dispatchers in Pittsburgh properly realized the chopper was missing and notified the county’s comm center, which launched a search for the chopper by law enforcement and fire agencies. The helicopter was located, leading county officials to ask why no one had notified supervisors or dispatchers at STAT MedEvac’s comm center or the county. Read more about the incident here.