Arrival and Departure Procedures for LL37 Helipads

Purpose / Goal:

To improve communication and safety for EMS helicopter operations in the vicinity of the helipads at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (LL37).

Policy / Procedure:

All EMS helicopters operations into and out of the LL37 helipads will comply with the following procedures. 

Inbound Aircraft

1. All inbound aircraft will establish and maintain radio contact with OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) a minimum of 15 minutes prior to arrival. OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) will provide known EMS traffic advisories to all arriving aircraft.
2. The communications frequencies for OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) are as follows.
   • Primary: 159.510 PL 88.5
   • Secondary: 123.075
3. All inbound aircraft will make a mandatory “Landing in 5” call to OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) when five minutes out from landing at either the LL37 helipads.
4. Sequencing for multiple aircraft arrivals will be provided by OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm).
5. OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) will assign LL37 arriving aircraft the specific helipad for landing / parking. The LL37 helipads are identified as Upper East, Upper West, Lower North, and Lower South (See figure 1).
6. For those situations where all four LL37 helipads are occupied, OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) will direct arriving aircraft to proceed to the published holding area east of the LL37 heliport over the Illinois River (See figure 2). Aircraft entering the holding area will hold below 2000 MSL or as directed by Peoria Approach Control utilizing left hand turns (See figure 2).
7. Aircraft in the holding area will maintain radio contact with OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) to receive notification when a helipad is open for the next arrival.
8. Hot off-loading / on-loading of patients is not allowed at any of the LL37 helipads.
9. As soon as possible after arrival and shutdown, the pilot of each non OSF Aviation aircraft will contact OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) at 309-624-2386 and provide Flight Comm with a telephone number at which the pilot can be directly and immediately contacted.
10. At no time will flight crews leave their aircraft unsecured (i.e., doors open, medical equipment left outside the aircraft, etc.) when not in the immediate vicinity of their aircraft.
11. For those aircraft that depart LL37 after patient drop-off with the intent of relocating for fuel, prior to departing the refueling site the pilot will contact OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) at 309-624-2386 to advise of their intention to return to LL37. Flight Comm will advise of any necessary starting and/or departure delays and provide the pilot with any updated traffic and landing pad information.

Inbound Patient Reports to OSF Saint Francis Medcom

All helicopters inbound to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center will call patient reports for trauma patients on FLIGHT COM FREQ (159.510) (PL 88.5). Radio reports are not necessary for any other patient transfers unless patient condition warrants.

Outbound Aircraft

Prior to engine start from either the LL37 helipad, the pilot of each departing aircraft MUST contact OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) at 309-624-2386 to advise of their intention to start. Flight Comm will advise of any necessary starting delays.

Prior to departure from any LL37 helipad, the pilot will contact OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) on radio frequency 159.510 PL 88.5 to advise of departure direction and altitude. OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) will advise of any necessary departure delays and will provide known EMS traffic advisories to all departing aircraft.

All departing aircraft will monitor OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) until well clear of the LL37 helipads.

Designated Avoid Over Flight Area

OSF Life Flight has received numerous noise complaints from the neighborhood area (see figure 3) just to the west of the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center helipad (northwest of Methodist Medical Center). Please avoid over flight of this area to the best of your ability, winds and weather permitting when inbound or outbound and during approaches and departures to/from the LL37 helipads.

Notes

It is imperative that all aircraft contact OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) on the primary frequency of 159.510 PL 88.5 when inbound, prior to departure, and maintain a listening watch with OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) after departure in order to maintain safe and efficient traffic flow into and out of the area around OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

Simultaneous arrivals, departures, and arrivals/departures are not authorized. OSF Life Flight Communications Center (Flight Comm) will coordinate and sequence all arrivals and departures to either the LL37 helipads.