Construction is well underway on the province’s first heliport landing pad on the roof of the Regina General Hospital.
A few months in to construction there is a steel frame erected on the roof. On the ground a cement truck is attached to another machine, with a tube-like device that runs to the roof, which is how the cement is transported to the top of the building.
STARS air ambulance will use $3.4 million helipad to serve southern Saskatchewan, which is being paid for by the province.
“It’s going to reduce road ambulance services from airport to the hospital and just improve the timeliness of patients getting to hospital,” said Rural and Remote Health Minister Randy Weekes.
STARS pilot Barry Tolmie said they’ll be able to save about 15 minutes by landing directly at the hospital.
“When you’re dealing with critically injured patients, minutes count sometimes seconds count,” he said.
Placement on the roof will create less noise and air turbulence than a ground-level pad would.
“For us landing up on the heliport, there’s very little obstacles up there. If you take a look down here, there’s a lot more obstacles.”
It is estimated that anywhere between 300 and 400 patients a year in the province are moved by STARS.
This pad should be operational by November 2013. A similar landing pad is also planned for the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, adjacent to Royal University Hospital. That heliport is expected to be finished in 2016.
Source: http://www.newstalk650.com
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