Medevac

A state police helicopter pilot's decision to make a rapid descent in an attempt to see better in fog was the chief cause of the medevac crash that killed four people last year near Andrews Air Force Base, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded. The board said Steven Bunker of Waldorf, who was killed in the Sept. 28, 2008, crash, failed to stop the descent at the proper altitude. The NTSB found no mechanical problems and determined that the helicopter's navigational instruments were working properly.

Maryland's medevac officials told state lawmakers Tuesday that they have addressed problems raised by a sharply critical audit and also upgraded equipment and procedures to improve safety after last year's fatal crash. The briefing came weeks before the anniversary of a Sept. 27 crash in Prince George's County that killed four people - the deadliest accident since Maryland State Police began flying the missions four decades ago. Maj. A. J. McAndrew said the aviation command is in the process of adopting all of the auditor recommendations.

The manufacturer of Maryland's medevac helicopters is protesting the state's effort to replace the aging fleet, alleging that the bidding process favors another company and would add to the program's cost. State officials have budgeted more than $50 million to buy new helicopters, and bids from manufacturers were due last month. American Eurocopter has filed a formal protest with the state Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the procurement of the aircraft, and wrote a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Steele chides GOP for infighting Embattled Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele lashed out at GOP infighting Tuesday and urged the party faithful - some of whom have criticized his erratic statements - to be more like him: "unconventional, unpredictable ... to do from time to time the unexpected." At a fundraiser for the Anne Arundel County Republican Party that raised $36,000, the former Maryland lieutenant governor jokingly acknowledged the rough road he has traveled since taking over the national party this year.

Battle lines have been drawn over competing state spending proposals after the House of Delegates decided overwhelmingly Thursday night to approve a $13.9 billion operating budget with key differences from the Senate plan. The House voted 116-21 for a budget that preserves education and health care funding with federal stimulus money while cutting local aid and other programs. Democratic leaders contend that they pared the budget while maintaining a social safety net and averting worker layoffs and higher taxes.

Facing strong opposition in the General Assembly, proponents of reforming or privatizing Maryland's embattled medevac system are hoping to delay the purchase of new helicopters that state police have been requesting for years. Senators are scheduled to debate today a bipartisan bill that would require the governor to consider allowing a private company to take over the police-run helicopter transport system, which has been under scrutiny since a fatal crash in September and a critical legislative audit last year.

Make better use of rescue copters I read "Assessing medevac control" (March 5) with great interest, and I concur with House Speaker Michael E. Busch that the draft report of the House of Delegates' study panel on the medevac fleet was absolutely premature. I encourage the speaker to have his "EMS Workgroup" dig further, and assess the flawed trauma/EMS governance structure as it relates to all the helicopter rescue resource within the state. I believe they would find plenty of untapped helicopter capacity that could offer significant benefit to citizens.

Attempts to overhaul and possibly privatize the state's emergency medical system appear likely to fail this year after a legislative panel's full-throated endorsement of continued state police control of Maryland's medical helicopter program. A 14-member House of Delegates study panel voted unanimously yesterday to recommend that state police maintain operation of the medevac fleet and that the aging helicopters be replaced at a pace faster than that proposed by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The panel called for additional legislative scrutiny of the state EMS system.

A House of Delegates study panel is moving closer to calling for continued state police control over Maryland's medevac fleet, according to a draft report obtained yesterday by The Baltimore Sun. The draft report also endorses replacing the state's aging fleet with three new $20 million aircraft a year, starting next year. House Speaker Michael E. Busch called the draft report "absolutely" premature yesterday and said it was an early step in a broad assessment of the state's emergency medical services system.

Police officials launched an emotional defense of Maryland's state-run medevac system yesterday, which faces a privatization initiative from General Assembly critics whose case for reform has been bolstered by a recent fatal crash and critical audit. A routine legislative briefing about Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget proposal to purchase two new helicopters turned into a heated exchange yesterday between the police major in charge of the medevac fleet and Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican who wants to require the police to compete for the job with private services.