New Lifeflight choppers now in service

Two new medical helicopters able to land on hospital helipads are now in service in Nova Scotia.

The province earlier this year announced an agreement with Canadian Helicopters, worth $105 million over 15 years to outfit and operate two new air ambulances, and the new helicopters went into service last week.

“EHS Lifeflight is a vital part of Nova Scotia’s emergency medical services and provides critical care to people all over the Maritimes,” Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey said at a news conference Wednesday. “These new helicopters can get patients to hospital faster and they have important equipment available to critical care teams when they need it most.”

The new helicopters feature state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems, lifesaving equipment like oxygen outlets and regulators, and a night vision goggle-compatible cockpit.

EHS Lifeflight responds to between 700 and 800 calls a year, and having two helicopters should mean the service is able to respond more often because maintenance and scheduled repairs won’t ground it.

“It is a great privilege for our medical and aviation teams to serve Nova Scotians,” said Steve Crocker, a critical care paramedic for Lifeflight. “The new upgrades will better support everyone on the aircraft to provide the highquality critical care people have come to expect from Lifeflight.”