Helipad

Hospital helicopter landing sites and their security are the responsibility of the hospital trust.

It is usually security personnel who are tasked with ensuring helipad security, and once notified of an inbound aircraft, they will deploy to the designated landing area.

Security personnel will undertake the following tasks:

• Ensure that they are wearing high visibility jackets, have eye and ear protection
• Switch on the helipad lights
• Perform a visual sweep of the landing site and remove any loose objects or debris that might pose the risk of being thrown up by downwash and damaging rotors or airframe
• Remove any bystanders to a safe distance and ensure that no-one can approach the aircraft when it is landing (as shown in the image to the right)
• Ensure that any loose articles on hospital trolleys are secure and cannot be blown away by downwash from the rotors