Panel: State has too many helicopters

Maryland probably has more helicopters than it needs, and on emergency calls those helicopters should carry an additional paramedic, a panel studying the state's medevac system concluded yesterday.

In their preliminary report, panelists also said the program should be accredited and follow federal commercial aviation standards.

"It's just a matter of tweaking the system," said Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, who served on the panel. "It's not fractured, but it's got some cracks."

The panel was convened in response to...