Beginning in 1985, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came to the realization that regulating crew rest for pilots was an overdue and effective risk-management tool. Fatigue was being increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in many emergency medical services (EMS) accidents. Federal aviation regulations were changed to include pilot crew rest and flight hour and duty time limitations.
1 Ed MacDonald is an EMS line pilot for PHI Air Medical Services in Phoenix, Ariz., and the cochairman of the AAMS/CORE Safety Committee, secretary for the Air Medical Safety Advisory Council, safety representative for NEMSPA, and member of Helicopter Association International's Air Medical Service Committee.
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