. Helipads may be located at a
heliport or
airport where fuel,
air traffic control and service facilities for aircraft are available. Most helipads are located away from populated areas due to sounds, winds, space and cost constraints. Some
skyscrapers have one on their roofs to accommodate
air taxi services. Some basic helipads are built on top of highrise buildings for evacuation in case of a major fire outbreak. Major police departments may use a dedicated helipad at heliports as a base for
police helicopters. Large
ships and
oil platforms usually have a helipad on board for either emergency use or as standard preferred means of boarding and offboarding. In such a case, the terms "
helicopter deck", "helideck", or "helodeck" are used. (NH205) helicopter of the
Finnish Army on the helipad of the
Turku Central Hospital during an exercise Helipads are common features at
hospitals where they serve to facilitate
medical evacuation or
air ambulance transfers of patients to
trauma centers or to accept patients from remote areas without local hospitals or facilities capable of providing the level of
emergency medicine required. In
urban environments, these
heliports are sometimes located on the roof of the hospital. Rooftop helipads sometimes display a large two-digit number, representing the weight limit (in thousands of pounds) of the pad. A second number may be present, representing the maximum rotor diameter in feet.
Location identifiers are often, but not always, issued for helipads. They may be issued by the appropriate aviation authority. Authorized agencies include the
Federal Aviation Administration in the United States,
Transport Canada in Canada, the
International Civil Aviation Organization, and the
International Air Transport Association. Some helipads may have location identifiers from multiple sources, and these identifiers may be of different format and name. == Construction ==