SASKATOON – There was a rare, if not unprecedented, sight in Saskatoon on Tuesday evening.
STARS air ambulance was carrying a critical care patient and time was of the essence.
A request was made to set up a landing area as close as possible to Royal University Hospital.
Police and fire crews blocked off the intersection at Hospital and College Drives while the helicopter circled overhead.
The landing did not go ahead as the pilot wasn’t comfortable with the landing spot.
STARS ended up landing at its usual spot near Wilson’s Greenhouse on Highway 5.
The patient was then transported the rest of the way by ambulance.
Fire and Protective Services say this is the first time a situation like this has occurred and called it exceptional circumstances.
It highlights the pressing need for a hospital helipad, one that is expected to be built on top of the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan.
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