By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

A new, larger, and more capable helicopter pad is being installed in Ocean Pines in the near future to accommodate the increased size of modern emergency aircraft.

At the OPA’s Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, Sept. 20, the community’s general manager, John Viola, presented plans to shift the current helicopter pad outside the neighborhood’s south side fire station about 20 yards away.

A fresh and enhanced landing zone will be created. The county requested the upcoming work, as the existing pad is too small. The anticipated cost to move the helicopter space is $10,000-$15,000. The Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department will apply for a grant to cover the project’s price tag.

OPVFD Joe Enste said that the county’s request is to align better with newer, larger helicopters. Over the past few years, the Maryland State Police have updated their emergency aircraft to accommodate a team of four, a patient, and sometimes an additional provider.

“The pad we currently have does not fit appropriately for that kind of helicopter,” Enste said. “They can still land, but it is a challenge. Depending on the wind direction and things like that, there have been instances where the helicopter has slipped off the side of the roadway.”

The current pad’s width is around 25 feet, the fire president added. The recommendation is that these sites be installed in an area of approximately 100×100 feet. Enste said that the new zone will only reach about 40×40 feet, but that it should be enough space for a helicopter to land.

“It’ll be a big improvement,” he said.

Additionally, the fire department and county staff are considering following Ocean City’s lead, which has recently installed an IRF (Instrument Flight Rules) landing zone near Northside Park. Enste said that these sites allow helicopters to “use just their instruments to land during bad weather events.”

This inclement weather could include something as simple as excessive wind in one direction, which would impact a helicopter’s ability to fly.

“Having an IFR landing zone would allow pilots to navigate through many more conditions than they normally would,” Enste said. “Right now, they have that on the island, but there is no other spot in the county that has that. There’s a new emergency manager, Director Chris Shaffer, who has taken over at the county level. He’s exploring options to create a site at the north, south, and middle of the county, so that we can have more access to the medevac helicopter, even during inclement weather. We will keep the community informed of any updates on that. ”

There is no set timeline for the creation of the new helicopter pad in Ocean Pines, but Viola said that the association will begin the process “in the near future.”