Much attention has been placed on the legislative action in progress to address the issue of HEMS safety. A gap exists in the education available to providers regarding operational safety practices and their responsibilities when it comes to vigilance and avoidance of complacency. Additionally, the continually growing issue of scarcity of healthcare resources has put a financial burden on facilities and programs decreasing funds available for training of staff. Vision Zero can efficiently help to fill that gap.

There have been years of relatively few crashes (ex:1990, 1994). An assumption can be made that after years of high crash numbers, followed by these relatively low rate years that something happened within the community to avert the risks. Increased awareness is most likely the key to these decreased statistics. There have been no significant legislation or technology changes that we can account for prior to the downturn … the most obvious choice is that we, the line level crews, are the cause for the change. Safety culture that is fostered from the top down and from the ground up is essential.

Education, Awareness and Vigilance.
These are the three key points that keep Vision Zero focused. Without any one of these, the other is nullified. The Vision Zero project addresses the essential components of building a community culture of safety. Vision Zero is already breathing new life into our community and creating excitement about safety awareness.

Mission and Strategies
The purpose of revitalizing Vision Zero is to bring safety practices to the forefront of everyone’s minds everyday (i.e. vigilance). This plan will identify specific products and services that will be available to everyone in a critical care transport team. Most importantly Vision Zero will offer tools to improve safety that can be easily implemented by any program.

Present Status
Vision Zero was created by AAMS as a movement to decrease the accident rate through safety awareness. A special website was created under the AAMS web page and offers general safety information (aviation safety, ground safety, and patient safety) as well as white papers for access to the general membership and public.

Product / Service Descriptions
• Spotlight Programs: Examples how programs have incorporated VZ into their safety culture.
• VZ Tool Box: Free exchange of safety tools in a web based repository.
• Current safety news: news appropriate to safety in the transport industry.
• Utilization of Social Networks -- Facebook and Twitter. • News & Views: Vision Zero will have a column in the electronic AAMS Newsletter.
• Safety Posters: Vision Zero has created downloadable safety posters! Download Vision Zero Safety Posters Here and Here

Conclusion
Vision Zero, at its core, is a symbol, a “Brand” of this community’s safety awareness and vigilance. The people who work in and around emergency vehicles are Vision Zero. They are the silver bullet. By educating and consistently raising awareness, the transport community, in a ground roots effort, will embrace this “vision” and the result WILL be a reduction … no … elimination of unnecessary errors of consequence. This is the power of the Brand.