STARS air ambulance began operating out of a temporary hangar near Saskatoon’s airport Oct. 15 and has the ability to transport patients within more than 500 kilometres from the city.
Rod Gantefoer, executive vice-president of Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society, said the helicopters’ versatility, including the ability to land on highways, parking lots and close to accidents, will greatly improve the emergency response capacity at communities within reach.
“The helicopter has the ability to move patients in many circumstances much quicker then can currently be the case with ground ambulances or fixed wing,” Gantefoer said.
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“It’s another dimension to the response to the critically ill and injured that the province of Saskatchewan is very happy to have.”
STARS began operating from a base in Regina last April and has now flown close to 90 missions, including hospital to hospital patient transfers and responding to accidents.
“With the two bases operating now, we cover a huge piece of Saskatchewan,” Gantefoer said.
“About 50 minutes after we went live, there was a mission that went out to Tisdale. STARS picked up a patient at the hospital and brought them back to Saskatoon. It was a great example of what it means for communities in central and northern Saskatchewan.”
The STARS base in Saskatoon uses one helicopter, but it will add another one next year. It will also move into a permanent hanger at the airport by 2014.
“PotashCorp has of course pledged us a helicopter, which is worth about $16 million, and a new hanger worth about $11 million. Together they’re worth $27 million, and they are going to make that available to us for no cost on an annual basis for the foreseeable future,” Gantefoer said.
STARS is a charitable not-for-profit organization that provides swift emergency patient transports from six bases on the Prairies: Grand Prairie, Alta., Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg.
For more information, visit www.stars.ca.
