Health and Community Services
Transportation and Works
February 6, 2009

Province Welcomes New Air Ambulance

The Provincial Government has unveiled a new air ambulance for Newfoundland and Labrador. The $7.8 million aircraft was welcomed in St. Anthony this morning by the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Transportation and Works, along with Wallace Young, MHA for St. Barbe, and Boyd Rowe, Chief Executive Officer of Labrador-Grenfell Health.

"Given the geography of Newfoundland and Labrador, a robust air ambulance service is critical in responding to health emergencies," said the Honourable Ross Wiseman, Minister of Health and Community Services. "It is vital that we have reliable aircraft to provide a timely response and this brand new air ambulance will be an essential part of our emergency response system, serving Newfoundlanders and Labradorians well into the future."

"The town of St. Anthony has been home to a provincial air ambulance service since the International Grenfell Association placed its first air ambulance here in 1955," said Minister Taylor. "This strategic location has served the program well over the decades, most recently with the Turbo Commander aircraft and now with this new, state-of-the-art air ambulance."

The new air ambulance is a Beechcraft King Air 350. It replaces the Commander, which was headquartered in St. Anthony and, together with the King Air aircraft based in St. John�s, will provide transportation for residents of the province in the event of health emergencies. It is equipped to carry two stretchers, medical equipment and supplies, along with four medically-trained personnel and two pilots. The aircraft, which is stationed in St. Anthony, arrived in the province in December and is now in service.

"I am very pleased to see this new addition to the air ambulance service, made possible by an investment of nearly eight million dollars by our government" said Mr. Young. "Its location here in this region will undoubtedly continue to serve the people of the province well."

"We are very pleased to have a new modern aircraft here in St. Anthony that will be available for medical emergencies not only in this region but throughout the rest of the province," said Mr. Rowe. "With greater fueling capacity, this aircraft will undoubtedly help to provide better provincial coverage."

The Provincial Government issued a request for proposals for the acquisition of a new air ambulance in early 2008. Hawker Beechcraft, based in Wichita, Kansas, was the successful bidder.

-30-

Photo: The official unveiling of the province�s new air ambulance was held at St. Anthony Airport on February 6. Taking part in the official ribbon-cutting were (l-r): Len Thomas, son of the late Dr. Gordon Waddell Thomas; Wally Young, MHA for St. Barbe; Hon. Trevor Taylor, Minister of Transportation and Works and MHA for the Straits and White Bay North; and, Ben Farrell, Regional Director of Air Operations/Chief Pilot with Labrador-Grenfell Health.

Media contacts:

Ronalda Walsh
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 685-1741
ronaldawalsh@gov.nl.ca
David Salter
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 691-3577
davidsalter@gov.nl.ca
Alison Dower
Regional Director of Communications
Labrador-Grenfell Health
709-454-0128, 454-1205
alison.dower@lghealth.ca
 

2009 02 06                                                          10:45 a.m.


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement