Sec. 30.07.01.01. Helicopter Communications to SYSCOM

A. Definitions.

(1) "EMSCS" means the Emergency Medical Services Communications System.

(2) "Hospital" means an institution that is required to be licensed as a hospital by the Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene pursuant to Health-General Article, §19-301, Annotated Code of Maryland, and COMAR 10.07.01.

(3) "MIEMSS" means the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems established pursuant to Education Article, §13-503, Annotated Code of Maryland.

(4) "MULTICOM" means a mobile radio service not open to public correspondence, used to provide communications essential to conduct the activities being performed by or directed from private aircraft.

(5) "Patient transport" means the helicopter transport of a patient from one hospital to another or to or from a specialty center.

(6) "Specialty center" means a hospital specified by MIEMSS to be a specialty referral center or trauma center participating in the Emergency Medical Services System.

(7) "SYSCOM" means the Systems Communication Center operated by MIEMSS for the Emergency Medical Services Communications System.

(8) "UNICOM" means an aeronautical advisory radio station used for advisory and civil defense communications primarily with private aircraft stations.

B. Notice of Patient Transports.

(1) The pilot or other crew member of a helicopter conducting patient transport or landing at a Maryland hospital or specialty center shall notify SYSCOM as provided in this section.

(2) The pilot shall contact SYSCOM directly using law enforcement frequency 44.74 MHz, tone code 110.9 Hz.

(3) The aeromedical communication radio stations designated in §B(2) of this regulation are located in the following locations:

(a) SYSCOM, University of Maryland, Baltimore City;

(b) Eagle Rock, Garrett County;

(c) Sideling Hill, Washington County;

(d) Dans Rock, Allegany County;

(e) Gambrill Mountain, Frederick County;

(f) Stoney Forest, Harford County;

(g) Crownsville, Anne Arundel County;

(h) Waldorf, Charles County;

(i) Denton, Caroline County;

(j) Salisbury, Wicomico County;

(k) Solomons, Calvert County.

(4) The pilot shall inform SYSCOM 15 minutes before landing at a hospital or specialty referral center or as soon as practical, whichever is earlier.

(5) The pilot shall inform SYSCOM again within 3 minutes of the estimated landing time at the hospital or specialty referral center.

(6) In the initial communication with SYSCOM, the pilot shall:

(a) Provide identification of the agency or helicopter service making the patient transport; and

(b) Indicate the destination and estimated time of arrival.

(7) Within 3 minutes after departure from a hospital, specialty referral center, or the scene of an accident where the patient was picked up for transport or delivered after transport, the pilot shall notify SYSCOM of the helicopter's departure point, route, and estimated time of arrival at its next destination.

C. Medical Communications.

(1) The helicopter medic shall contact SYSCOM directly using medical frequency 47.66 MHz, tone code 100.0 Hz, through the radio station locations listed in §B(3) of this regulation.

(2) The medic shall provide the nature of injury or illness and the related information necessary to coordinate the receipt of the patient at the hospital receiving facility.

D. Alternate Methods of Communication with SYSCOM.

(1) Helicopters which do not have communications capability on medical frequency 47.66 MHz, tone code 100.0 Hz, but have air-to-ground telephone capability shall call SYSCOM directly via air-to-ground telephone to provide the data required in §C(2) of this regulation.

(2) Helicopter services not having operational communications capabilities on any of the above radio or air-to-ground telephone services shall contact their home base medical or dispatching operations center to have patient and estimated time of arrival data forwarded to SYSCOM via a conventional public switched telephone.