If the landing zone coordinator has access to a GPS unit, the exact latitude and longitude of the landing zone should be relayed to the LifeStar dispatcher. This information then will be relayed to the flight crew, so that it may fly directly to the scene.

Especially in daylight hours, mountainous and densely populated areas can make sighting a scene from the air difficult. Often, the landing zone coordinator on the ground will be asked if he can see or hear the helicopter.

Flight crews use a clock reference method for directing one another’s attention to a certain direction from the aircraft. The nose of the aircraft is always 12 o’clock, the right side is 3 o’clock, etc. When the landing zone coordinator sees the aircraft, he should use this method to assist the flight crew by responding that the accident scene is located at the (helicopter’s) 2 o’clock position or wherever it is located in reference to the nose of the aircraft.

When the helicopter approaches the scene, it normally will orbit at least one time as the flight crew observes the wind direction and obstacles that could interfere with the landing.