Proposal:Emergency=air rescue service

emergency=air_rescue_service
Proposal status:	Approved (active)
Proposed by:	Fizzie41
Tagging:	`emergency=air_rescue_service` Data item
Applies to:
Definition:	Air Rescue Service station.
Statistics:
Draft started:	2023-01-08
RFC start:	2023-01-09
Vote start:	2023-02-10
Vote end:	2023-02-24

Proposal

To approve and introduce the tag emergency=air_rescue_service to show the buildings and base areas of those groups that use aircraft, either fixed-wing or helicopters, for either aerial Search and Rescue, or Aeromedical Evacuation purposes.

These groups may be operated by either Government, Civil or Commercial organistaions. This tag does not distinguish between them.

Some examples of these groups include the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service (Australia), Bristow Helicopters (UK), Rega (Switzerland), DRF Luftrettung (Germany), Royal Flying Doctor Service (Australia) and many others.

This tag should only be used for the bases and operating areas that house the emergency units. For helicopter landing-pads only e.g. at hospitals, use aeroway=helipad

Tag proposed to be approved
`emergency=air_rescue_service`

Tags to be Deprecated

As part of this proposal, the undocumented emergency_service=air should be deprecated, and would express support for merging existing usage into this tag.

Tags proposed to be deprecated
`emergency_service=air`

Meaning of "Deprecated"

Specifically, in this context the term deprecated means:

The OSM community recommends emergency=air_rescue_service as a replacement for this tag

The primary tag for each POI using this tag be changed to emergency=air_rescue_service

A new page will be created for this tag and immediately marked as deprecated

This tag will be added to Deprecated features

Data consumers are recommended to support this tag until such time as they are no longer in use

Rationale

Currently, most Aerial Search and Rescue, and Aeromedical Evacuation, bases are not mapped beyond a named hangar e.g. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/824404496.

I am proposing that emergency=air_rescue_service be accepted as the default tag for these bases, further broken down into:

air_rescue_service=search_and_rescue, and
air_rescue_service=aeromedical

"Search and rescue" will be used to refer to those units, usually equipped with helicopters, that carry out aerial searches, and are also equipped to then rescue people in distress, usually by use of a winch e.g https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/435757370

"Aeromedical" will be used to refer to those units, equipped with helicopters and/or fixed-wing aircraft, which are used to transport medical cases and/or injured casualties to a place offering medical assistance. These units are not usually equipped to carry out actual rescues, only provide transport services e.g. https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/-34.94976/138.52158

In some cases, both sub-types will operate from the same base area.

How to Map

For buildings / areas that operate as a air-rescue station, draw an area around either the individual building, or the entire area, including any related items such as dedicated aeroway aprons or helipads, and tag it as emergency=air_rescue_service.

If a single building is shared by multiple users, add a node inside the mapped building and tag it as emergency=air_rescue_service.

This tag should only be used for the bases and operating areas that house the emergency units. For helicopter landing-pads only e.g. at hospitals, use aeroway=helipad, or for those locations where a helicopter can land in an emergency situation, use emergency=landing_site.

This tag can also be added to such facilities as fire-stations and Police units, as well as Military units, that also perform aerial search and rescue services.

Tags used in combination

name=* - the common name of the feature e.g. RFDS Longreach, Westpac Carrara etc
operator=* - e.g. Royal Flying Doctor Service, Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service etc (spelt in full in local language)
operator:wikidata=* - the Wikidata ID code for the Operator
access=private - the base areas will usually not be open to the general public so access should be tagged as private

Other possible tags to include

aeroway=helipad - where the unit has it's own dedicated helipad
icao=* - where the unit has it's own ICAO code e.g. YCAX

Optional

seamark:type=rescue_station - denotes a Rescue Station and is intended to render in various nautical charts
seamark:rescue_station:category=aircraft - denotes a Rescue Station equipped with Search and Rescue aircraft

Examples

Examples	Tagging	Images
Portland Search and Rescue helicopter base, UK Irish Coastguard, Waterford helicopter base, IE	`emergency=air_rescue_service` + `air_rescue_service=search_and_rescue`
German Navy / DGzRS SAR exercise	`emergency=air_rescue_service` + `air_rescue_service=search_and_rescue`
Swiss Rega EC145 Air-Ambulance	`emergency=air_rescue_service` + `air_rescue_service=aeromedical`
Royal Flying Doctor Service base, Jandakot, Western Australia	`emergency=air_rescue_service` + `air_rescue_service=aeromedical`

Possible Rendering

This tag could possibly render with the same pink background / brown icon colour scheme as currently used for Police & Fire Stations, together with an icon of a helicopter?

Pages affected

Pages affected
Page	Action
* Emergency_facilities_and_amenities	Edit
* `emergency=air_rescue_service`	Create page
* `air_rescue_service=search_and_rescue`	Create page
* `air_rescue_service=aeromedical`	Create page
* `emergency_service=air`	Create page, mark as deprecated & merge use

External Discussions

Comments

Please comment on either the discussion page, tagging list, or Community forum.

Voting

Voting closed

Voting on this proposal has been closed.

It was approved with 20 votes for, 2 votes against and 0 abstentions.

Thank you everybody! :-)

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I approve this proposal. --Fizzie41 (talk) 07:05, 10 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Polarbear w (talk) 08:37, 10 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --N9713 (talk) 09:34, 10 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. -- Something B (talk) 10:55, 10 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Nw520 (talk) 11:43, 10 February 2023 (UTC)
I oppose this proposal. This proposal deprecates in-use tags, causing work for developers, mappers and data consumers alike, for no good reason. --SomeoneElse (talk) 02:54, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

I would not consider a tag count of 23 as 'in use' in this context. I tagged one of them ages ago, before the rise of the 'emergency' key, for the lack of better alternatives. --Polarbear w (talk) 09:46, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

For an update on those numbers, whn I've just checked via OT, there are now only 15 uses showing, all in Germany, of which 4 appear to be only be hospital helipads, so not an emergency station as such. --Fizzie41 (talk) 23:03, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

I'm sorry, I didn't see your comment before this. As far as I can tell via TI, you are the only developer using this tag, & from previous comments, I believe you only started using it after I raised this proposal? --Fizzie41 (talk) 03:31, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

I approve this proposal. --Kylenz 05:23, 12 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Chris2map (talk) 10:55, 12 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. thank you for this proposal --Gendy54 (talk) 13:18, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Ydel (talk) 14:36, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Yamso (talk) 07:41, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. -- Warin61 (talk) 10:38, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Kjon (talk) 12:54, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Timonade (talk) 14:55, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --EneaSuper (talk) 15:34, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --Jmarchon (talk) 16:26, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
I oppose this proposal. Both this and https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/emergency%3Dwater_rescue dilute the meaning of the emergency tag (aka equipment/facilities directly useful in an emergency) at a level to make it meaningless. It is akin to tagging a whole hospital with emergency=emergency_ward_entrance. If there no "end user" directly useful facilities other tagging should be used. --SimonPoole (talk) 18:24, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

Sorry, but this tag will show the location of emergency facilities, which could be of use to Emergency Services personnel, not just members of the public. I can't see how creating a new tag, using the same structure as other Emergency facilities is "diluting the meaning"? --Fizzie41 (talk) 23:12, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

I approve this proposal. Improves Structure. --TheNottingHum (talk) 08:58, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. Adamant1 (talk) 00:36, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --TheBlackMan (talk) 17:46, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. — Jake Low (talk) 02:18, 24 February 2023 (UTC)
I approve this proposal. --WambacherWest (talk) 09:13, 24 February 2023 (UTC)