Minimum cost, maximum convenience and interaction between attendees — that’s been the hallmark of past ECHO annual conferences, and will again be the focus of ECHO this year, taking place from Oct. 2 to 4.
“Our fee is really low — $170 for all sessions, most meals and all social events,” explained ECHO marketing director Ashley Chitty. “We always only hold one social event at a time. This provides more networking and more time to interact with vendors and other flight crew members. And as always, our planning team members are all current or past flight crew members. ‘For flight crews, by flight crews’ is our motto. What’s different this year is we are going to the West Coast and we will have a stronger focus on law enforcement and search and rescue sessions.”
This year for the first time, ECHO is being held in San Diego. The planning team had put out a survey to their members and many respondents had asked for a location in this region, noting that there aren’t many public aviation conferences held there.
“The survey also confirmed our strategy of keeping all aspects of public safety aviation together, showing that everyone has a voice and contributes to the safe return of the flight crews,” Chitty explained. “From mechanics, communication specialists and leadership to flight crew members, everyone is equally valued. Many international respondents to the survey also expressed appreciation for the way we always hold ECHO near international airports with everything at the same hotel. In this case, we’re at Paradise Point Resort and Spa in Mission Bay. We have flight crews coming from the U.S., Canada, Haiti, New Zealand and England.”
In terms of focus, ECHO has always embraced the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) community, but this year, ECHO has added more for law enforcement and search and rescue flight crews. There will be many sessions hosted by industry leaders, such as SR3 Rescue Concepts and Tactical Flying.
“All our sessions are open to anyone, but we designated tracks for critical care, leadership, mental health and law enforcement/search and rescue,” Chitty said. “We are extremely excited this year to see all facets of public safety aviation coming together and sharing best practices and learning from each other. There’s so much to gain from this, and ECHO wants to encourage the cross-pollination of knowledge as much as possible.”
Historically, about 80% of ECHO attendees are flight crew members, with the remainder communication specialists and organization leaders. About 400 attendees (and 50 vendors) are expected this year. An array of aircraft will also be on display from Bell, Airbus and Leonardo, as well as the models currently being used by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and Mercy Air.
“We will also announce the 2024 location, the annual ‘Spirit of ECHO’ attendee award, recognize the graduating 2023 Future Flight Crew cohort, and announce the recipients of our scholarships,” Chitty said. “We’ll also recognize our many critical donors and sponsors. Being a 100% volunteer non-profit organization, we’re able to offer free membership and an affordable registration fee because for the generous donations from our corporate partners. For example, the owners of Heroes Rise Company Coffee, which is a first responder owned and operated company that roasts for those who serve, will be driving their coffee truck from their home base in Minnesota to serve free fresh coffee in San Diego — and they will also serve free coffee and hand out bags of coffee to emergency services personnel along the way.”
Among the new technology featured at ECHO, Chitty said Icarus Devices will present their game-changing system that electronically alters the pilot’s visibility and mimic weather scenarios, bringing the power of a simulator into aircraft.
When asked about the challenges facing HEMS teams, Chitty pointed to labor issues. “We believe constant changes in the makeup of flight crews can pose a safety risk, from rapid pilot turnover and clinician shortages, creating a green-on-green team makeup,” she said. “The shortages stem from a lot of factors, but at the same time, it’s a highly-desired and amazing job. There are many leadership sessions at this year’s conference which focus on these issues and allow for discussion amongst attendees.”
Resources will be presented that support employee mental health and well-being, such as ECHO’s volunteer Flight Crew Assistance and Support Team. Deployed at no cost after accidents, this team has members trained in peer support who can offer assistance with debriefing, memorial planning and tending to other flight crew and family needs.
“We also have an 18-week Future Flight Crew training program, which provides individuals the tools to obtain their dream of becoming a flight clinician at no cost,” Chitty reported. “Several organizations that have vetted the program and have confirmed our graduates are ready to hire.”
The program includes training on everything to do with being part of a two-person flight team, as well as resume assistance, mock interviews and more.
