Before purchasing a medical helicopter membership, there are several important things you should know:

• A medical helicopter membership does not guarantee that you will be flown by that service when you need it.

• Weather may not be suitable for flight.

• The membership helicopter may be out of service for maintenance.

• The membership helicopter may already be committed to a flight.

• The patient weight may be greater than the weight limits of the membership helicopter.

• The medical condition of the patient may exceed the capabilities of the membership helicopter.

• For calls directly to an accident scene, local EMS agencies will request the closest available helicopter. In some states, this is required by law.

This may require your air transportation to be performed by another air medical program or by ground ambulance not covered by your membership.

Questions you should ask (and you may want to get the answers in writing):

• How likely is it that the membership helicopter will be available, as the closest aircraft, when you need it?

• Are the membership helicopters equipped to fly in inclement weather? Some medical helicopters can fly by instrument flight rules; others can't.

• What is the patient weight limit for the membership helicopter?

• How do the medical protocols for the membership program compare to other EMS medical protocols? Is the membership program licensed at the true "critical care transport" level by the state? Or are they simply a Basic Life Support or Advanced Life Support provider?

• Ask your local EMS service how they select a medical helicopter to call.