Formerly under the jurisdiction of Committee F30 on Emergency Medical Services, this specification was withdrawn in January 2024 in accordance with section 10.6.3 of the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees, which requires that standards shall be updated by the end of the eighth year since the last approval date.

This specification covers rotary wing aircraft involved in patient prehospital emergency medical care and transportation. It outlines the minimum requirements, including personnel, and patient care equipment and supplies, that must be met before the aircraft can be classified as a rotary wing air ambulance unit. This specification describes a suitable rotary wing aircraft, which together with the specified personnel, equipment, and supplies, will provide patient care, at least to national standards for basic life support, throughout the medical mission. It applies to all the medical activities that involve rotary wing air ambulance operation at the basic life support level, including on-scene work and interhospital transfer. Application of this specification will ensure that the air ambulance will be able to provide a well-established level of patient care. The rotary wing basic life support air ambulance shall consist of three components: the rotary wing medical transport vehicle, transport personnel, and patient care equipment and supplies in accordance with this specification. The minimum personnel requirement for the rotary wing basic life support air ambulance shall be the FAA flight crew requirement for the aircraft and for each patient, one qualified air-medical crewmember. All pieces of medical equipment and supplies used in rotary wing operations shall be maintained in accordance with the specified requirements.

1.1 This specification pertains to fixed (airplanes) and rotary-wing (helicopters) aircraft used for prehospital emergency medical care and transportation of patients by air, collectively air ambulances. It outlines the minimum requirements, including personnel, patient care equipment, and supplies that shall be met before the aircraft can be classified as an air ambulance.

1.2 Recommendations for basic life support (BLS) air ambulances are contained in the first part of this specification that defines the minimum requirements for aircraft configuration and capability, the minimum number of seats for personnel, and the minimum medical equipment and supplies.

1.3 Recommendations for advanced life support (ALS) air ambulances include the first part of this specification that defines the minimum requirements for aircraft configuration and capability, the minimum number of seats for personnel, and the minimum medical equipment and supplies. Additional requirements for ALS are found in Annex A1.

1.4 Recommendations for specialized medical support (SMS) air ambulances include those for BLS and may include some or all of the ALS requirements that define the minimum requirements for aircraft configuration and capability, the minimum number of seats for personnel, and the minimum medical equipment and supplies. Additional requirements for SMS air ambulances are found in Annex A2.

1.5 In this specification, minimum requirements for air ambulances providers are identified, however, ambulance services, under the direction of their medical director, are encouraged to use them as a core list and adjust their configuration or manifest or both according to their mission profile and patient population.

1.6 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.