Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Landing zone (LZ) safety training is a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of air medical transport risk management. While fly-in PR events and occasional classroom sessions have long been used to train ground personnel, recent data suggests that these efforts are not only outdated—they’re dangerously ineffective. In fact, today’s EMS and hospital-based teams may have less LZ safety knowledge than participants in the 2009 NIH study that first validated online training methods.
This session delivers a high-impact, non-commercial exploration of how and why LZ training is failing, and what air medical teams can do to modernize their approach. Using new field data collected from hundreds of EMS/fire departments and hospital partners across the U.S., the presentation will uncover shocking training gaps, real-world risks, and missed opportunities in safety outreach.
Interactive elements will include real audience polling on LZ decision-making scenarios, a short training effectiveness quiz, and live feedback discussion on common misconceptions seen in the field. Attendees will gain immediately actionable strategies for improving their own program’s LZ safety posture—without overhauling budgets or operations.
Whether you're a program director, safety officer, pilot, or clinical leader, this session will challenge assumptions and equip you with smarter, evidence-based tools to reduce risk, improve collaboration with ground teams, and strengthen safety culture—before the next avoidable landing zone incident occurs.
Session Outline: Key Takeaways:
Why current LZ training methods fail—and where the risks are hiding
How web-based training has been proven to improve knowledge retention and reduce liability
What our latest data shows about training gaps in EMS and hospital staff
How operators can modernize training without losing the human connection
Why it’s time to rethink LZ training as a risk management tool—not just a PR checkbox
Who Should Attend:
HAA Safety Officers, Operations Leaders, and Clinical Educators
Hospital Outreach and Risk Management Staff
EMS Chiefs and Training Officers
Flight Program Directors and Community Relations Leads
Anyone responsible for LZ coordination, scene response, or HEMS safety strategy
Learning Objectives:
Identify common deficiencies in current LZ safety training programs and recognize the risks these gaps pose to flight crews, ground personnel, and overall mission safety
Compare traditional in-person LZ training methods with modern online alternatives, and evaluate which approaches most effectively support long-term knowledge retention and operational readiness
Apply evidence-based strategies to improve landing zone safety training within their organization, including digital tools, data tracking, and ongoing ground crew engagement
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