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New Address For ASHBEAMS ASHBEAMS has moved to a new neighborhood. Their current address is: ASHBEAMS, 612 Pennsylvania Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103. Nina Merrill, Exec- utive Director, or Kathy Steinhause, Administrative Assistant will be glad to assist you, or you can call them direct at their new phone number: 619/542-0388. Make a note of it. "=~'-" Communications Jeopardized By FCC Proposed Rulemaking The FederalCommunications Com- mission (FCC) has proposed rulemaking that would ban the manufacturing of all synthesized radios with external fre- quency selection capabilities {PR docket 86-37). By now, all of the ASHBEAMS membership should have received infor- mation on this '~Proposed Rule Making." If you have not received any information, please contact Becky Albert, Commu- nications Chairman, ASHBEAMS, C/O Life Flight, St. Joseph Hospital, 601N. 30th St., Omaha, NE 68131for details. The comment due date to the FCC on this docket is July 21,1986. The proposed rule making as it is presently written would ban the man- ufacturing of all synthesized radios of the type currently used by many aeromedical services operating under part 90 of the FCC rules, according to Ms. Albert. ASH- BEAM members are encouraged to write to the FCC to voice your opinions and needs on a national level. Contact your program director for details. Write to William J. Tricarico, Secretary, FCC, Washington, D.C. 20554. Reference PR docket 86-37. ,411 Revised Air Ambulance Guidelines Available A revised edition of the Air Ambulance Guidelines was recently published by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Admin- istration INHTSA), with the American Medical Association, Commission on Emergency Medical Services (AMA- CEMS). While this second edition reprises much of the content of the first February 1981manual, revisions were made to better define nomenclature and identify qualifications of medical person- nel required for air ambulance services. In addition, the report is designed to acquaint aeromedical personnel, particu- larly those practicing in remote and rural areas, with the following factors which affect the transportation of patients by air ambulance: • risks to patients flying at high altitudes; • equipment, both general and specific, required to render anticipated aid; • qualifications of personnel aboard the air ambulance and the level of care required in transit, and; ® care required for specific medical and surgical conditions during flight. Those readers interested in obtaining a copy of the revised Air Ambulance Guidelines should write: B. Thomas Scheib, Chief, U.S. Department of Trans- portation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medi- cal Services Division (NTS-42), 400 7th St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. New Helicopter Changes Its Wings A new helicopter has been approved by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger which is a unique tilt-rotor hybrid heli- copter/aircraft. It is expected to be used by the Maine Corps for troop assaults, and by the Army for rescue and medical evacuations. It is now under research and development with a $391million budget request for next year. Weinberger's approval was marked with a $497 million full-scale develop- ment contract awarded to the Boeing Vertol Co. and Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. companies, which will build the plane/helicopter jointly under firm fixed- price contracts. Named the Osprey, it will have the capacity to take off like a helicopter, using engines affixed to its wings. Once air- borne, the plane's engines will shift from a vertical to a horizontal position and the plane would then be able to function as a normal propeller-driven craft. The plane could go faster and farther than a helicopter, but it would be harder to hover. The Marine Corps would use the Osprey to replace the CH-46, which is 18 years old, and other older helicopters. The estimated cost is $20 billion through the 1990s for 913 planes ($32 million per plane). "~= 6 JULY/AUGUST 1986 AMJ
