The new Calgary STARS helicopter landed at the Sundre Airport on Friday as part of an orientation tour, and although it has its benefits, there are concerns with it not being able to land at the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre.
The new helicopter is too big for the existing helipad at the Sundre hospital, according to officials.
ìIt's not big enough and the pad is not certified for us,î said Greg Curtis, STARS pilot.
ìWe're trying to work with them (Alberta Health Services) because it's their hospital and it's their pad and we're trying to upgrade these pads as soon as possible.î
The plan until then is for the helicopter to land at the airport or at the scene of an accident when it is dispatched.
There may be a case where a hospital patient is transported to the airport via ground ambulance, where they would then be loaded onto the aircraft and flown to hospital.
ìSo if there is something on the highway here or somewhere in the backcountry we'll land there with this. Or failing that, it would be a physician determination from Calgary and Sundre that ëno, we need to land right at the hospital', we'll bring the other aircraft, the older aircraft,î he explained.
ìThose will stay in play for the near and/or foreseeble futureÖthey're not going anywhere because we need them both right now.î
Chris Vardas, Town of Sundre councillor, said he is concerned with the helicopter not being able to land at the hospital.
ìWhat concerns me is the little bit of the transport from the hospital to the airport,î said Vardas.
ìI would just like to see it land at our hospital.î
However, Curtis said benefits of the new model include a 20 to 30 per cent increase in speed, making for a faster flight time. The average flight from Sundre to Calgary in an older model helicopter is 25 minutes and the average flight time expected from the new model is 15-18 minutes, he said.
The new model also has more space for crew members on board and for patients.
ìThough we still can carry two with the older machine, we will comfortably carry two here,î said Curtis.
ìIt's an all-weather aircraft so it's got full de-icing on the blades and everythingÖthat was the focus of this aircraft from Day 1, was to get us the all-weather capabilities.î
He also said the new helicopter has a greater fuel range.
ìIt can stay on mission a little bit longer because of its speed and its fuel capacity. That's increased by probably another factor of 20-30 per cent.î
Kevin Gamble, Sundre's deputy fire chief, said the helicopter has its ìpluses and minusesî.
ìThey can land it away from us and roll it up to us so it can be safer on the highways,î said Gamble, noting that it's also easier to load.
ìIt's not as versatile as the little one, because putting it in a field, the wheels sink into the dirt a little more,î he said.
ìSo we've got to be careful where we land it.î
When asked if he is concerned about it not being able to land at the hospital, he said ìyes and noî.
ìYes, because if it's a really big emergency and they've got to be there then yes, but we've got an ambulance in town that can just run them over here,î he said.
ìOn the other side, without them landing at the hospital we don't have to worry about public safety either, because now it's landing at an airport.î
The helicopter landed at the Sundre Airport as part of an orientation tour for emergency personnel to become familiar with the new aircraft, according to Curtis.
The tour started on Thursday and will be going on for the next couple of weeks, including stops at Olds, Didsbury and Innisfail.
ìWhen we're landing at scene calls we do a lot of interaction with Sundre EMS and fire rescue, especially in the wilderness area,î said Curtis.
ìThis is a big orientation for our crew on board, our air medical crew in the back, so that they're using the stretcher, getting familiar with all the operational things as we go operational.î
There are two versions of the new helicopter, one in Calgary and one in Edmonton. The one in Edmonton has been operating for about three months, but the Calgary one is said to go operational in February.
ìIt's time to upgrade our fleet. We've been flying the other ones for almost 30 years now,î he said, noting that Albertans donated almost $30 million for the two aircraft.
ìIt's pretty significant for Alberta.î
Along with Curtis, other STARS crew members on board included pilot Tom Miles, flight medic Greg Barton, flight nurse Carolyn Hogan and flight medic Dave Harris.
