ANNAPOLIS (AP) — The Maryland Senate decided Tuesday not to support a one-year delay in buying new medevac helicopters intended to give lawmakers time to study the procurement process.

Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee approved $52.5 million in the capital budget to buy the first three helicopters to begin replacing the aging fleet. The capital budget is scheduled to reach the full House of Delegates on Wednesday.

The state currently uses 11 helicopters purchased between 1989 and 1999. One helicopter crashed in September, killing four people and prompting extra scrutiny of the system, which was the subject of a critical audit by state analysts a month before the accident.

Supporters of the Senate bill say the procurement process should be studied more, citing the high cost of the helicopters, potentially beneficial alternatives and the state’s tough budget situation.

Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Cecil, who sponsored legislation along with Sen. John Astle, D-Anne Arundel, to revamp the state’s medevac system, said questions remain about how many helicopters the state truly needs or how many bases.

Pipkin told the Senate: “Where else do we allocate in this budget process the idea of a quarter of a billion freebie and say, ’Hey, we don’t know where they’re going. We don’t know how many we need yet. Just start buying’?”

But opponents of the delay noted some helicopters in the fleet are 20 years old, and the state already has spent significant time studying the system. They also said Maryland has been a model for similar programs around the country and elsewhere abroad.

The age of the helicopters also is a concern, even though the remaining helicopters have been reviewed since the September crash and found to be safe.

“I don’t think we should be taking a chance” with 20-year-old aircraft, said Sen. Donald Munson, R-Washington/Frederick.

Maryland’s medevac system was established in 1970 as the first civilian agency to transport critically injured trauma patients.

“We have the ultimate system,” said Sen. James DeGrange, D-Anne Arundel. “We don’t need to study this anymore. We don’t need to look at it. We need to move forward on the replacement of these helicopters.”

Gov. Martin O’Malley included $40 million in his budget proposal in January to buy two new helicopters.

Earlier this month, a panel of Maryland lawmakers in the House of Delegates recommended to eventually add an extra pilot and an extra paramedic to the state’s helicopter medevac missions to boost safety.

Currently, the helicopters only use one pilot and one paramedic.

Officials with Maryland State Police Aviation Command, which runs the medevac program, believe Maryland will set the standard for emergency medical service operations with the changes.

Since the September crash, the number of emergency flights has been reduced amid concerns emergency flights are unnecessary when an ambulance could be used. Some have questioned whether it’s necessary to replace all the helicopters and maintain the eight bases around the state.

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On the Net:

Read Senate Bill 1041: http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/SB1041.htm