The Prince George BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) airbase welcomed a new helicopter ambulance this week.
The aircraft will be able to service areas as far as Dawson Creek and Smithers on a single tank of gas, according to Deb Trumbley, Director of Patient Care Delivery for the North District BCEHS.
“We’ve had good use out of our fixed-winged aircraft for many years but many communities don’t have established airstrips that can handle a fixed-wing landing,” said Trumbley.
Traditionally, BCEHS would transport patients between rural Northern communities with a ground ambulance.
“The helicopter gives us the opportunity to service those smaller communities that don’t have an airport but have health centres and diagnostic and treatment centres whose citizens need access to care quickly and need to come to PG quickly,” added Trumbley.
She also explained that changing weather conditions and great distances between some northern communities makes road travel for ambulances that much riskier in the region.
“This is a really big improvement to the services that we can provide to the small communities, now we can get a really versatile mode of transportation out to them for quicker transport to the hospital,” she stated.