Stanford Medicine Life Flight

Stanford Life Flight Landing Zone ("LZ") Requirements
100 feet x 100 feet

1. Wet down dusty areas prone to "brown out" conditions.
2. No overhead OR approach obstructions
3. Flat firm surface with no more than 5 degree slope
4. 100 ft. from emergency vehicles, patient, or buildings
5. 200 ft. from nonemergency personnel (on-lookers etc.)
6. 500 ft. from horses and other domestic livestock, where possible
7. Never downwind from hazmat area; always upwind
8. 1,000 ft. from hazmat area
9. Cement, asphalt, grass, or hard-packed dirt are preferred surfaces. 
10. No smoking is permitted near the LZ.
11. No loose debris or loosely packed surfaces. 
12. Avoid use of traffic cones, flares, or yellow caution tape.
13. Notify crew of any patients who are combative, in police custody, or contaminated by any hazmat, including gasoline.
14. Although we can land without radio contact with the LZ commander during daylight hours, it's far safer if we have communication with the LZ commander. The California On-Scene Emergency Coordination (CALCORD) system provides the frequency of choice for most EMS helicopters.

Night Considerations  

1. Be more descriptive of the LZ and hazards; search carefully for overhead wires especially.
2. Mark LZ clearly with strobes in a square pattern, bean bag lights, or vehicle lights crisscrossed at the landing spot. Emergency vehicles may also be parked on all four sides of the LZ perimeter. Parking emergency vehicles under overhead obstructions (wires, etc.) also helps pinpoint the locations of these to the flight crew.
3. Never point lights toward the aircraft cockpit.
4. Turn off headlights that point at the LZ or the aircraft after landing.
5. Radio communications with the ground are a requirement for landing. As with daytime landings, CALCORD works well: 156.075.

Landing the Helicopter

1. You may stand with your back to the wind with arms raised in the LZ to mark the intended spot of landing, but everyone must remain well clear of the LZ once the aircraft has begun its final approach. Ensure that anyone in the vicinity of the landing helicopter has turned away or is wearing protective goggles, that hats/helmets are tied on securely, and that hearing protection is utilized.
2. Life Flight will contact the LZ officer usually when they are 5-10 minutes out from the LZ on CALCORD.
3. When the LZ commander hears and has a visual reference of the Life Flight helicopter, he/she may proceed at that time with an LZ brief.
4. A high and then low reconnaissance orbit is made to enable the Life Flight crew to view the entire LZ carefully, and once this is complete, they will advise that they are on final approach. The helicopter will typically land in the LZ with its nose into the wind and preferably facing the scene/ambulance.
5. Approach a helicopter that is on/below a slope from the downslope position.
6. Should you see anything that poses a danger or safety hazard or an overhead obstruction that you have missed, announce on the radio “Life Flight ABORT” or “ Life Flight STOP.”
7. Never approach the helicopter while the blades are still turning. Always wait for the Life Flight crew members to come out to where you are. When taking the patient back to the helicopter, a Life Flight crew member will accompany you into the rotor disc zone and then accompany you out again.
8. The Life Flight nurses will assess the patient briefly before moving them to the helicopter. Please keep the patient in the ambulance on monitors until the flight crew reaches you.