The Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously approved a $72 million contract Oct. 20 to purchase six new helicopters, larger and faster than those the state police now fly, to begin the replacement of the state’s emergency medical fleet.
The Maryland Board of Public Works, which includes Gov. Martin O’Malley, Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot, voted 3-0 to approve the contract with Agusta Aerospace Corp. The contract includes an option to buy up to six additional helicopters between July 2011 and July 2013.
The first two AW 139 helicopters are expected in Maryland within 18 months. The other four will arrive within two years.
They contain the latest in avionics and equipment, including terrain awareness warning systems, night vision compatibility, cockpit voice and video recorders, radar altimeters and advanced instrument flight rating capabilities. The new helicopters also have more space in the patient and cargo areas to give medics better access to patients and to carry rescue equipment on board all the time.
Maryland currently uses 11 helicopters bought between 1989 and 1999. One helicopter crashed in September 2008, killing four people in Prince George’s County and prompting extra scrutiny of the system, which was the subject of a critical audit by state analysts a month before the accident.
Eight of the 11 helicopters now in use are more than 20 years old.