STARS landing concerns put to rest
By Lawrence Gleason, Local Press Writer
Unusual and misinformed concerns about landing issues regarding the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) air ambulance that came from a recent Mayors and Reeves meeting have been put to rest.
“STARS has not been affected by any recent Transport Canada decisions,” said STARS Spokesperson Fatima Khawaja. “Transport Canada has not changed any rulings on helipads other than to ensure we are continuing to use best practices at heliports located within built up areas. In some cases, improvements need to be made to ensure the risk to the public is minimized appropriately.”
Pilots are still able to land anywhere in an emergency, including highways, streets and fields in urban areas as long as it is deemed safe by the pilot. Any changes made are upgrading landing zones around some hospitals in Southern Alberta and that work has been continuing for some time.
Division 5 Councillor Darry Markle, a retired helicopter pilot of 33 years, researched the issue for the Municipal District of Willow Creek and was in contact with STARS pilot Jennifer Thiel.
“There are two different issues,” said Markle. “One is the certified pads at hospitals. There is no change there. The other is a grey area of temporary landing zones.”
STARS flies two different helicopter types, the lighter and shorter BK117, stationed in Calgary and serving Southern Alberta, and the heavier and longer AW139, based in Edmonton and serving Northern Alberta and its territory that is more remote for overland vehicles.
Helicopter pads at many hospitals were not designed for the heavier AW139, but again, established and certified helicopter pads for hospitals in Southern Alberta are not affected as Southern Alberta is served by the BK117 out of Calgary. And, again, temporary landing sites can be made at a pilot’s discretion if needed.
The STARS air ambulance BK117 helicopter stationed in Calgary, plus its backup, is a 10-passenger helicopter, 9.91 metres in length. It was last manufactured in 2004 by Japan’s Kawasaki and Germany’s Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm after a 22-year production run. The BK117, with a maximum 3,350 kilogram take-off weight, is able to fly a 541 kilometre range.
In December 2012 STARS added two AW139’s to its fleet. Those helicopters are much larger than the BK117. The AW139’s are 15-passenger aircraft with almost twice the range, to just over 1,000 kilometres with twin-engined turbocharged Pratt and Whitney engines. The AW139s are also much heavier, 3,622 kilograms of empty weight compared to the 1,727 kilograms of an empty BK117.
“Current regulations allow for both ‘registered’ and ‘certified” helipads,” wrote Khawaja after requesting written questions on the issue. “In general, registered heliports identify ‘set aside’ helicopter landing areas not impacted by surrounding development and are recognized and documented by Transport Canada.”
Khawaja added, “Certified heliports are required inside ‘built up’ areas, generally inside the borders of towns and cities, and require more stringent safety considerations regarding the performance abilities of the aircraft serving the heliport, very similar to those required at major airports.”
Khawaja also stated STARS is constantly working on the matter and the issue is not a new one.
“As a portion of our STARS safety program, we are continually assessing communities that we serve who do not have a registered or certified heliport. From time to time we are compelled to find alternate landing areas near these communities in the interest of public safety. We are continually doing our due diligence to monitor all of the communities we serve in conjunction with Alberta Health Services.”