Saturday's crash of a Med Flight helicopter near La Crosse should heighten Wisconsin's sense of urgency about providing medical helicopters with recommended safety equipment.

When the helicopter leased to UW Hospital crashed into a hillside, killing all three on board, it was not equipped with night vision goggles or terrain warning technology.

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended both devices for medical helicopters since 2006.

The lack of the safety equipment may not have contributed to the crash. The cause is as yet unknown.

The chief executive of the company that leased the helicopter to UW Hospital insisted that the lack of the equipment did not compromise the mission.

Nonetheless, the crash highlighted the fact that many medical helicopters have yet to be equipped with the recommended safety devices.

The absence of the equipment can produce fatal results. Between 2002 and 2005 there were 55 medical helicopter crashes nationwide. Night vision goggles could have helped prevent 13 of the crashes, according to the NTSB. Terrain warning technology could have helped prevent 17.

The equipment's impact is remarkable. The difference between viewing a landscape with and without night vision goggles is compelling.

Med Flight helicopters and their crews provide life-saving services in dangerous and difficult circumstances. That's why they should be equipped for maximum safety.

Yet, the safety upgrades are so valued that the U.S. government snaps them up for military and other uses, creating a backlog for companies, such as Air Methods Corp., which leased the ill-fated helicopter to UW Hospital. The Colorado-based company is retrofitting its 330 helicopters, but it's been a slow and expensive process.

The equipment can cost as much as $100,000.

The federal government should work with private providers to get the safety equipment installed in medical helicopters. Authorities should organize a broad discussion of ways to ease the shortage of safety equipment.

It's too late for the three crew members — physician Darren Bean, nurse Mark Coyne and pilot Steve Lipperer — who died in the crash Saturday. But more safety equipment in other medical flight helicopters could save other courageous people who risk their lives to save others.

To watch a video on the difference between seeing a terrain with and without night vision goggles, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-6Vd1gc8AA.