30 Aug Air Ambulance Services Resume at Oyen Airport
Air ambulance services during dark hours have been restored at the Oyen airport after a service disruption earlier this year. The Special Areas Board, the Town of Oyen, and the MD of Acadia have been working with Alberta Health Services to address concerns which impacted air ambulance services at the Oyen airport.
Air ambulance includes both fixed wing airplanes and helicopters and are closely integrated with ground ambulance and dispatch systems. Fixed wing air ambulance services are contracted by Alberta Health Services (AHS) to provide 24-hour air ambulance services throughout the province.
“Air ambulance services are critical to providing medical services in our rural remote area. The Board understands how important it is to have these services there when people need them. Along with our municipal partners, we have invested in the equipment and infrastructure needed to help get this service restored as quickly as possible.”
Jordon Christianson, Chair – Special Areas Board
“I would like to thank our Municipal Counterparts, Alberta Health Services and the pilots for the collaborative effort in identifying and addressing the issues in order to have our 24/7 fixed wing air ambulance services resumed.”
Doug Jones, Mayor – Town of Oyen
“Together with our municipal partners, the MD of Acadia has invested in regional infrastructure to support the restoration of air ambulance service in our region. Council recognizes the importance of access to these critical services, and the role they play in a sustainable community”
Peter Rafa, Reeve – MD of Acadia
“Air ambulance is a vital component to providing timely high-quality healthcare services to the members of our rural community. We are grateful for the work done to restore this service.”
Shelaine Woods, Site Manager – Big Country Hospital
“EMS appreciates the commitment of the Special Areas Board, the Town of Oyen and the Municipal District of Acadia to maintain air ambulance access to the community.”
Jessica Stevenson, Manager
Provincial Air Ambulance and IFT Strategy, Alberta Health Services
Since the disruption of air ambulance services back in March, municipal partners have been working to identify and implement solutions which will allow 24-hour air ambulance service to be restored. This work included lighting to a wind turbine located directly on the flight path and updating flight planning information with NAV CANADA. Municipal partners have also invested in an Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) at the Oyen Airport as well as GPS (instrument) approach systems at the Consort, Hanna, and Oyen airports.
For more information related to this issue, please contact Wanda Diakow with Special Areas Regional Economic Development at (403) 575-9533 or wanda.diakow@specialareas.ab.ca.