Airbus HelicoptersInc. (AHI)is proud to announce that Protean LLC has been honored as the 2014 Vision Zero Aviation Safety Award recipient for development of the LZControl.com database, a free flight safety service the companyprovides the air medical industry.

Jennifer Hardcastle, Sales Manager – Air Medical Specialist for Airbus Helicopters Inc., presented Protean CEO John Cornett the award and a $10,000 check during the Air Medical Transport Conference Annual Community Awards banquet Monday, Sept. 22, in Nashville.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. created the Vision Zero Award in 2007 to promotesafety in the air medical industry. It recognizes a program or company that has demonstrated a commitment to aviation safety, spotlights specific safety initiatives and encourages the sharing of ideas so others in the industry may learn from them. An industry committee judges the competition.

“Protean LLC is a leader in safety innovation and a deserving recipient of the Vision Zero Award,” said Marc Paganini, President and CEO of Airbus Helicopters Inc. “There has long been a need for a shared landing zone database in the helicopter EMS industry, but nothing was in place until Protean developed LZControl.com. This database is a major step forward for enhancing safety in the EMS industry. We strongly recommend that all air medical service providers participate and contribute their landing zone information to LZControl.com.”

Protean was founded by Cornett as Medical Technology Solutions in 1999, offering web-based software to fire departments, police, emergency medical service providers and hospitals. Cornett is a flight paramedic in Virginia with 20 years of EMS experience. Based in Williamsburg, Va., Protean has a core group of professionals with more than 75 years of combined public service experience who provide technology solutions for healthcare.

The company’s award-winning LZControl.com is a free International Helispot Database designed to improve safety and communication for the Helicopter Air Ambulance community. Pilots are able to access maps and satellite images, pull current weather and IFR information, and even find site-specific contacts.

“Protean is honored to receive the Vision Zero Award and we are proud of our contributions to improving safety in the healthcare industry,” said Cornett. “From day one, our company has been focused on safety and we constantly strive to develop new and better ways of problem solving in the industry. We will utilize the award money to help create a free downloadable mobile app for tablets and smart phones, which will enable EMS crews to provide and access continuous updates from the field, 24 hours a day.”

Helicopter ambulance flight safety has been improved dramatically with the LZControl online database, which allows users to share their information about landing zones, as well as access changes in real time.In 2013, LZControl was opened up to the entire U.S. and remainsthe only free, nationwide central landing zone database for medical helicopters.To date, there are 1,070 registered members that have access to data on more than 4,050 landing zones.  Protean plans to expand LZControl internationally in 2015.
The 2014 Blue Ribbon Committee members that judged the competition included:Chairman Bill Bryant, President of Sierra Health Group; Denise Landis, Program Director for University of Michigan Survival Flight; Eileen Frazer, Executive Director of CAMTS; Ed MacDonald, Chairman of AMSAC; Chris Eastlee, President, Air Medical Operators Association; Gerry Pagano, Director of Operations, Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Trauma Hawk Aeromedical Program; Jason Schwebach, Assistant Vice President at Carolinas Healthcare System; and Lindsay Cunningham, Senior Manager of Aviation Safety, Airbus Helicopters Inc.

All air transport programs and operators that are members of the Association of Air Medical Service (AAMS) are eligible to apply for the Vision Zero Aviation Safety Award.

For more information about the Vision Zero program and the Airbus Helicopters Vision Zero Aviation Safety Award, visit the Association of Air Medical Services website at www.aams.org.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. is the leading U.S. provider of new helicopters for air medical transport and EMS missions with a 75 percent market share over the last decade. The company’s industry leading product range includes high performance single-engine, light twin-engine and medium twin-engine aircraft.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. is exhibiting at the Air Medical Transport Conference, Booth 523, Sept. 22-24.

About Airbus Helicopters Inc.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. (AHI) is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group. Airbus Helicopters Inc. is a manufacturer, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and parapublic helicopters offered in the U.S. The product line represents the industry’s most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters serving all markets and missions. The company’s headquarters and main facility are in Grand Prairie, Texas with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss.