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STARS EMS helicopter arrives in Regina

Saskatchewan already has a fleet of airplanes that perform medical transports.

The new service, operated by a company called STARS, the Shock Trauma
Air Rescue Society, adds a helicopter with a dedicated nurse and
specialized EMS crew to attend to emergency calls and critical patient
transports.

The Regina-based service is set to launch daytime operations on April 30. Full-time service will start a few months later.

STARS says that will allow new staff to learn how to learn how to use technology, such as night-vision goggles.

Jacques Poirier will be one of nine pilots flying the helicopter.

"We can get to an area where, if it might take two hours to get there
by road to Regina, we can do that in about half the time," said
Poirier, the STARS Regina base commander.

According to a spokeswoman for STARS, the helicopters have enough
fuel for 500 kilometres worth of travel, which amounts to a
250-kilometre range of operations from the Regina base.

Arrangements were also being made to set up fuel sites for trips that could take the helicopter beyond the range.

A new hangar has been built at the Regina airport for the aircraft
and crew. When emergency medical transports are done, a ground ambulance
will be used to move patients from the airport to the Regina General
Hospital.

A second STARS helicopter will begin service out of Saskatoon in the fall.

Training to take place in Estevan

The
Regina helicopter and crew is set to travel 200 kilometres southeast to
Estevan, Sask., on Sunday for a day of training with local EMS crews
and volunteers.

The Estevan exercises will deal with landing zone protocols.

"Landing zone training prepares emergency personnel and volunteers to
prepare a safe landing area for the aircraft and how to safely approach
the helicopter," STARS officials said in a news release about the
Sunday event. "They'll also have the opportunity to become familiar with
the medically-equipped interior of the BK117 helicopter."

Each STARS flight will have on board two pilots and a specially-trained paramedic and a nurse.

"There's plenty of room in there," Poirier said, when asked the crew
size. "It looks like a small helicopter, but there's definitely room in
there."

The Regina operation already has six pilots ready to go, Poirier said, and three more will be joining the service shortly.

"We're actually a health-care provider with helicopters as our means
of doing the job," he said, referring to the level of care people can
expect when they arrive on the scene.