AN EMS HELI PLT IS ADVISED THAT HIS PREVIOUS DEP PROC WITHOUT A DISCREET XPONDER CODE IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE DUE TO SPECIAL TFR RULES FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS NEAR ZZZ; US.

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EVER SINCE SEP/TUE/01; AND WITH THE TFR'S IN THIS AREA WE HAVE BEEN HANDLED BY ATC (TRACON) IN 2 DIFFERENT WAYS. FOR THE PROLONGED TFR'S WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN DISCREET XPONDER CODES AND WHEN A CALL CAME IN; WE WOULD PUT IN THE ASSIGNED CODE AND DEPART. WE WOULD CONTACT ATC WHEN AIRBORNE. AT THE TIMES WHEN A TFR WAS FOR A SHORT PERIOD WE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO AIRBORNE AND CALL FOR THE XPONDER CODE WHEN AIRBORNE. THIS CHANGED DURING THIS TFR PERIOD. ON THAT MORNING I CAME TO WORK FOR SHIFT CHANGE. I WAS DEBRIEFED BY THE OUTGOING PLT; CHKED WX AND READ THE TFR'S THAT WERE IN EFFECT FOR OUR AREAS OF OPS. WE RECEIVED A CALL FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT; WHICH WAS LOCATED 325 DEGS/20 NM FROM THE HOSPITAL. I TOOK OFF AND CONTACTED APCH AND GAVE MY LOCATION AND DEST; USING MY LIFEGUARD CALL SIGN. I RECEIVED MY XPONDER CODE AND WAS CLRED ENRTE. I COMPLETED THE PICK UP AND ON THE RETURN TRIP WAS ADVISED BY ATC TO CONTACT TRACON UPON LNDG. I WAS HANDLED BY APCH UNTIL I LANDED AT THE HOSPITAL. AT THIS TIME I THOUGHT TRACON WAS GOING TO ISSUE A DISCREET CODE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. AFTER LNDG I WENT IN THE OFFICE AND CALLED TRACON AND HE ADVISED ME THAT I HAVE TO HAVE THE CODE PRIOR TO TKOF AND THAT ALL OTHER WAYS WE WERE DEALT WITH BEFORE WERE NO LONGER IN EFFECT. THE CTLR SAID THAT THEY HAD A 3 HR PLAN; BUT IN OUR TYPE OF FLYING HE DID NOT WANT TO USE THIS. I AGREED AND SAID THAT I WOULD CALL FOR A CODE ON EACH FLT. HE SAID THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE A PROB WITH WHAT I DID; BUT THE HIGHER AUTHS DID AND WERE LOOKING TO VIOLATE PLTS OVER THIS MATTER. MY NEXT FLT WHICH AGAIN WAS A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT; WHICH WAS LOCATED 8 NM NW OF THE HOSPITAL. ON THIS FLT I COMPLIED WITH WHAT TRACON HAD REQUESTED AND RECEIVED MY CODE PRIOR TO TKOF AND THE FLT WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT ANY PROBS. I UNDERSTAND THAT I AM IN ERROR HERE AND DID MISREAD THE TFR THAT PERTAINED TO THE AREA. I EITHER RECEIVED THE WRONG INFO FROM THE PREVIOUS SHIFT PLT OR MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE TFR. AFTER READING THE TFR; I STILL THOUGHT WE WERE ALLOWED TO OPERATE AS WE HAVE DONE PREVIOUSLY. I CERTAINLY TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING AND NOT READING THIS TFR CORRECTLY. WE HAVE ALWAYS WORKED WELL WITH TRACON AND HAVE COMPLIED TO EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAVE REQUESTED.