Helicopters are excellent tools for patient extraction. However, their use comes with risk. It is not the job of the field team on the ground to determine whether or not a helicopter can fly; that is up to the flight crew. If a helicopter would make a difference in the patient outcome, request it from the incident command staff. It is essential to convey an accurate depiction of patient presentation. Your description of patient presentation will help specific air resources determine whether or not they fly and what resources they might bring. Again, it can not be stressed enough that it is up to the aircrew to decide if they fly. Always paint an accurate picture of the scene and patient. It is helpful to recognize which air resources our state has available. Resources can be broken down into two categories: hoist/short haul capable and non-hoist capable. Our hoist/ short haul resources are federal and state government agencies. There are various air ambulance services around our state that can provide patient care and transport from a landing zone. Some helicopters carry blood. If this is a treatment you think a patient may need, put that in the request to the incident base. 

When calling for a helicopter it is important to prepare the patient for transport, protect them from rotor wash and have a handoff report ready for the incoming medical crew. As a medical provider let other people on scene determine and set up landing zones, and interact with the helicopter. As a medical provider your priority is your own safety and patient care.

There are online training resources available for helicopter training. These are great resources to further one's understanding of SAR interactions with helicopters. 

The NMSAR Field Certification has excellent helicopter training resources that can be found in the Helicopter Safety training section (Chapter 3, section 5) from the Study Guide.

The Mountain Rescue Association has online training programs available to any one interested. These resources are made by helicopter rescue experts. More information can be found by going to https://training.mra.org/ one will need to set up an account before taking a training.