British Columbia is getting a new state-of-the-art fleet of air ambulance airplanes.
The government announced on Friday that BC Emergency Health Services is replacing its existing fleet with 12 new Beechcraft King Air 360CHW air ambulances.
Nine of those will be in regular operation, and three will be backups.
According to the province, from 2023 to 2024, paramedics, dispatchers, and call-takers responded to 596,014 emergency medical situations. That included 8,290 patient transports involving air resources, 6,177 of which were by airplane.
“͞When someone you love is critically ill or injured, they deserve the best and fastest care possible,” Premier David Eby said in a statement.
“Throughout this vast province, we are building new hospitals, cancer-care clinics and urgent primary care centres. By deploying new air ambulances, we are ensuring patients get the quality care they need quickly.”
The province says the new aircraft are able to land on gravel runways and have expanded capabilities for specialized care, along with having a uniform design across the fleet.
Air ambulances are stationed in Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George and Fort St. John.