Air ambulance given $65M to upgrade fleet
The federal government is giving $65 million to the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) to fund the purchase of five new helicopters.
The grant money was announced at a news conference in Regina on Thursday. The five new helicopters, part of a fleet-renewal plan that includes the purchase of nine new aircraft, will help to increase STARS’ availability of service, and improve the flexibility to respond to emergencies across the region, according to a news release. The plan also streamlines flight operations from two current helicopter types to a single-model fleet, which is expected to translate into less time and money spent on maintenance and training.
The money was first announced in the federal budget earlier this month.
STARS, a not-for-profit organization that has been operating in Western Canada since 1985, co-ordinates and delivers rapid and specialized helicopter emergency medical services across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and parts of British Columbia, including in Indigenous communities and national parks.
“This commitment by the government of Canada is an investment in the future of Western Canadians, enabling STARS to be there to fight for the lives of patients in need for generations to come.
“This is a historic announcement for STARS and for our fleet renewal process. It’s exceptional news for our patients,” Andrea Robertson, STARS president and CEO said in the release.
STARS has flown more than 40,000 missions, including to emergencies such as the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the school shooting in La Loche, the Fort Mcmurray wildfires, and the 2013 spring floods in Calgary.