Medevac & Air Support

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command  (MSPAC) offers life-saving and mission-critical air support for medevac, law enforcement, disaster assessment and search and rescue operations across the state. Our pilots, flight paramedics, operations and support staff work together to keep Marylanders safe. 

Air support services

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command provide a wide range of air services, enabling rapid response across diverse terrain and weather conditions  to Maryland citizens, including

• Emergency Medical Evacuations (Medevac)
• Search and Rescue
• Law enforcement support
• Disaster relief
• Neonatal and pediatric treatment transfers
• Requests for Allied Agency Support
• Other missions to ensure the safety of the State of Maryland

At the heart of MSPAC’s air operations is the Operation Control Center who is responsible for processing requests for helicopter services.  Duty officers coordinate flights, monitor safety, weather conditions and work with medical staff to ensure fast, safe responses statewide. The Operation Control Center works in conjunction with the Systems Communications Center (SYSCOM) and the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS).

Aircraft

Maryland State Aviation Command (MSPAC) operates 10 AW-139 helicopters that handle most of the medevac, law enforcement, and disaster response missions. Each helicopter includes:

• Full critical care medical equipment
• Pre-hospital whole blood
• Rescue hoists
• Searchlights and infrared camera systems
• Advanced navigation and safety systems
• Night vision devices
• Trained crew consisting of two pilots, two trooper paramedics, and a crew member

Our helicopter sections are the most visible part of the Aviation Command. Each year our flight crews transport many sick and injured patients to the hospital, search for missing persons and assist state and local law enforcement agencies with a variety of missions.

The Maryland State Police also operates a Piper Saratoga, a single-engine fixed-wing aircraft used for specific missions that don’t require a helicopter. The aircraft is used for search and rescue, surveillance missions, as well as transport of whole blood and maintenance personnel and aircraft parts/equipment to remote parts of the state.

History

A pivotal expansion occurred on March 19, 1970, forever changing Emergency Medical Services (EMS). On this date, we became the first civilian agency to transport a critically injured trauma patient by helicopter, a groundbreaking achievement outside of a military setting.

This expansion into medical evacuation (medevac) was championed by Dr. R Adams Cowley, the founder of Shock Trauma in Baltimore. Dr. Cowley believed that helicopter transportation of critically injured patients to Shock Trauma would save lives, a belief that proved correct. Since the early 1970s, Shock Trauma and the Maryland State Police have earned a global reputation as leaders in trauma care.

Today, the Aviation Command performs five distinct mission profiles: medevac, aerial law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment.

What began with a single helicopter covering the entire state has grown to encompass seven Helicopter Sections, Maintenance Operations, Support Operations, and Administration. 

The Aviation Command is the sole, organic flight program in Maryland that conducts medevac, aerial law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment.