Thursday, June 27, 2013

Pilot resignations leave ORNGE scrambling to fill vacancies, keep air ambulance helicopters flying in busy summer season

 OTTAWA — An exodus of helicopter pilots has left ORNGE scrambling to fill shifts, meaning air ambulance choppers could be unable to fly at times during the busy summer trauma season.

Dozens of flying slots are empty, forcing ORNGE's central scheduling office to appeal for pilots to work overtime to fill shifts at bases in London, Toronto and Ottawa in the coming weeks.

According to one veteran pilot, the staffing shortfall is unprecedented and he predicted it will impact the agency's ability to move patients.

"We will see a significant shortage of service in the coming months," the pilot said.

ORNGE has been hit by a wave of resignations of senior pilots in the 18 months since it took over helicopter operations from Canadian Helicopters, with at least three announcing their departure last week alone.

A spokesperson for ORNGE said addressing pilot staffing has been an ongoing priority for the agency.

"These positions are highly specialized and recruitment can be time consuming when a pilot leaves the organization," James MacDonald said in an email.

He said ORNGE makes "every effort" to fill shifts left vacant by sick leave or training.

The call for overtime work comes amid reports from frontline employees that bases across the province have been frequently out of service because of a shortage of pilots and medics, as well as maintenance needs.

London was out of service for an entire weekend earlier this month because there were no medics or pilots to staff the helicopter, insiders say.

Moosonee, home base to an ORNGE helicopter that crashed on May 31, killing two pilots and two medics, had been out of service for "long periods" on night shifts because of maintenance woes and staffing troubles, sources tell the Toronto Star.

The staffing shortages are driving home the emerging crisis at ORNGE as disgruntled pilots, unhappy about management and now openly airing safety concerns, are leaving for more lucrative flying jobs elsewhere.

"It is out of control and they can't stop the exodus," one pilot told the Star. "The entire operation is at risk."

Veteran air ambulance pilots, including several working at ORNGE, spoke to the Star on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Progressive Conservative MPP Frank Klees plans to put those concerns in the spotlight Thursday with a news conference to air the worries voiced by ORNGE employees.

"These are paramedics and pilots who tell me that they have serious concerns about accountability, about the safety issues, about training and very concerned about the exodus of their colleagues," Klees said.

"I believe the (health) minister must now step in and demand that an objective third party be brought in to assess the capacity of this organization to continue," said Klees.

Klees says he is certain that any independent review will conclude that ORNGE's aviation operations should be handed over to "an experienced company that understands the intricacies and technicalities."

"This is no longer now a matter of efficiency . . . I'm much more concerned now about the safety of the patients and the frontline staff and the competence of that organization," Klees said.

Health Minister Deb Matthews said Wednesday she awaits the outcome of the Transportation Safety Board's probe of the May 31 crash. She pledged to take any recommendations "very seriously, as will ORNGE's leadership.

"ORNGE continues to focus on enhancing the safety of their operations," Matthews said in a statement to the Star. "It would be unfair to those affected by the tragedy to rush to premature conclusions on the outcome of that investigation."

She said that "rigorous" audits of ORNGE by Transport Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources have turned up "no major outstanding issues."

In the meantime, she said that the agency is recruiting new employees.

"I know that ORNGE continually works to ensure that they have the staff they need, including helicopter pilots, to meet patient needs," Matthews said.

MacDonald said the agency has been hiring to fill the pilot ranks.

"Despite a competitive international market for helicopter pilots, we have been successful in our recruitment efforts," MacDonald said.

He said ORNGE has hired six new pilots who are now in training and should be ready by early July.

"ORNGE's practice is to hire fully qualified pilots and then to provide several weeks of training before they begin to fly missions," he said.


Source:  http://www.therecord.com

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