CHC Ireland is to launch a trial of a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) specifically for its flight crew in rotary wing SAR and HEMS operations.

FRMS is a data-driven means of continuously monitoring and managing fatigue-related safety risks. Since 2019, CHC has gathered data through surveys, workshops and scientific-grade watches of crews to assess the impact of fatigue on safe operations to help create an FRMS.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), the statutory body responsible for overseeing all aviation activities within Ireland, has now granted CHC approval to trial an FRMS for 24-hour rostering of CHC's flight crew. The approval makes CHC the only aviation company in Ireland, and one of only a small group in Europe, authorised to implement FRMS. The operator will integrate FRMS into its safety management system as part of the trial.

Rob Tatten, CHC, director of operations and accountable manager Ireland, says: “The CHC Fatigue Risk Management System brings best in class monitoring for our teams and enables us to deliver the highest quality of services 24 hours a day for the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) and Irish public. We have been gathering extensive data since 2019 to create this system and we are now ready, with the approval of the IAA, to put this into practice with our front-line teams. We are grateful to the IAA for approving us as Ireland's first FRMS AOC holder, and we look forward to delivering the findings in the coming months.”

A spokesperson for the IAA adds: “The issue of an FRMS approval is a collaborative process between the Irish Aviation Authority and CHC Ireland to assess the suitability and effectiveness of FRMS. This process ensures that the associated level of safety in the Coastguard Aviation Services is at least equivalent to, if not better, than that achieved through compliance with the prescribed limits.”

The trial is set to begin in September 2024, with initial findings expected to be reported to the IAA within three months.