SASKATOON – Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) air ambulance launched out of Saskatoon in mid-October, since then, the chopper has responded to over 75 calls calling for round the clock service.
This morning, STARS Saskatchewan Operations Vice President Ron Dufresne announced a shift from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to 24/7 service from the Saskatoon base effective immediately
“Right now Saskatoon operating halftime flies almost the same amount as Regina… We expect with the increasing population and the geography that Saskatoon covers we will be flying more than the Regina base,” said Dufresne.
The move to double service hours has been in the works since day one and this means more personnel.
“To go from 12 to 24 hours we’ve recruited five new pilots and seven new air medical crew,” said Dufresne.
Vision in pitch black darkness is a necessity; all STARS pilots have already been equipped with their very own night vision goggles and have been using them this winter.
“What the night vision goggles do really is enhance what we can see, so literally it turns night into day. That will increase the safety for us, the crew, the patient and the population at large,” said STARS pilot Yves Bolduc.
STARS operating costs are expected to increase with 50 per cent coming from government funding and the remainder through donations.
“The operating costs the fixed costs are the same… Our only increased operating costs are the additional human resource time and of course the additional hours on the air craft,” said Dufresne.
Comments