Winnipeg’s one and only police helicopter, Air1, won’t take to the sky for a few months as it undergoes some extensive maintenance.
After over a decade of flying above the city since being deployed in 2010, St. Norbert – Seine River coun. Markus Chambers says it’s time for a full tear-down inspection.
“Air1 is a single-engine aircraft flying over an urban centre, so we want to make sure it’s safe,” Chambers tells 680 CJOB. “Not only for the officers flying it over our city, but the citizens below as well.
The helicopter has helped police track down dangerous suspects countless times over the years, including high-speed drivers.
Chambers, who also chairs the city’s police board, says the helicopter can do much more than that — telling the story of a time when he was up in the sky on a ride-along.
“We received a call of a child with autism in distress in the Maples area,” he recounts. “As we were flying, I looked down — and we were probably by McPhillips Street and Notre Dame Avenue.”
“They were able to locate him over 9 kilometres away with that powerful camera they have, and we saw ground units arrive and retrieve the boy.”
“To be 9 kilometres away and be able to pinpoint and lock in and call those ground crews showed me the value of the service it was providing.”
The helicopter is also often able to spot fires throughout the city before Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews on the ground get the call.
Chambers says the helicopter’s maintenance was budgeted for, at a cost of approximately $680,000.
“It’s going to take approximately three months, but we should have it back in time for the summer months at the end of May.”
Comments