It is the middle of the night.
That’s when these things always seem to happen, when they
are least expected. And no one ever “expects” tragedy or trauma to strike,
which I suppose is why we call them an emergency.
They happen everywhere, and they have happened in my own
life with my parents as they aged, although in their case they lived in a large
city with easy access to rapid medical care and transportation. But what
happens when these emergencies happen in a remote region, like a highway far
from major centres or an oilsands site far from medical expertise? Who do we
rely on then to get us, our loved ones, our fellow community members or our
employees to the medical care they desperately need?
Well, in Fort McMurray for over twenty years we have relied
on Phoenix Heli-Flight, and in the last few months Phoenix improved their
service by offering dedicated 24/7 Helicopter Emergency Medical Services. In
order to operate these night flights Phoenix had to invest in specialized
equipment, including a helicopter capable of performing during demanding
situations and serving a large – and growing – region.
For the most part Phoenix has shouldered the financial
burden of these night flights and 24/7 operations. While they have been paid by
Alberta Health Services on a fee-per-service basis and while two industry
partners have contributed, along with donations from individual community
members, the funding that Phoenix initially anticipated to come from government
and industry has not materialized...and as a result Phoenix will be forced to
stop offering 24/7 emergency helicopter services at the end of this month as
the financial burden has become too much for them to bear. And I will say it
right now – this cannot be allowed to happen.
We live in a region that is home to an industry that
operates 24/7. Added to the potential for industrial incidents requiring
emergency medical intervention is the workforce that operates that industry, a
predominantly male group with medical emergencies ranging from strokes to heart
attacks. As a result of that 24/7 industry we also have a 24/7 community, with
our highways buzzing with traffic and the potential for collisions during every
time of day. The reality is that our region is unique in some ways, including a
24/7 industry and community that demands 24/7 services to support it –
including emergency medical transportation that is available around the clock,
seven days a week, with the equipment and professionals necessary to both do
the job and do it well – and Phoenix Heli-Flight are the ones who have the
equipment and professionals to do it.
The residents of this region and those who work in our
industry and live in the camps provided by industry are reliant on these
services – and in situations where minutes do matter and where lengthy transportation
delays can result in poor medical outcomes, including death. We are a region of
remote communities, work camps, isolated roads, industrial sites and thousands
and thousands of people for whom these night flights can mean the difference
between life and death. It’s a pretty stark reality – and it is time for
everyone to recognize it and come back to the table.
You see Phoenix Heli-Flight has tried to secure funding from
industry and the provincial government but it has turned into one of those
situations where everyone acknowledges the necessity of the service but no one
wants to shoulder the cost. It seems a stalemate has evolved, and the ones
losing are the residents of this region, as well as all those who come to this
region to work.
This issue impacts a far larger group than solely the
citizens of this region. We have individuals working in this region who come
from across the country, and who are equally dependent on timely medical
transportation in emergencies. This issue impacts those individuals and their
families across the country, and so the ripple effect of the end of these
services will spread far and wide.
Phoenix Heli-Flight has clearly
shown their commitment to providing 24/7 emergency helicopter services, but
they cannot continue to do so if it is not cost-effective and if they are
shouldering the majority of the financial impact. It is time for the other
stakeholders – the Government of Alberta and all industry representatives – to come
back to the table to negotiate a resolution to this issue and find a way to
continue funding a service that is, fundamentally, essential. The cost to provide the dedicated service is $7,900 per day, with most
of that going toward costs for 9 pilots, 2 mechanics, and administration. It
also includes a hangar and office, and fuel infrastructure, insurance,
training, night vision goggles, and a $6 million helicopter. This might seem
like a large amount but if compared to what our region produces in economic
benefit for the province and in revenue generation for the industry it is quite
clearly a drop in the bucket on the investment scale.
So, what do you do and
where do you come in? I happen to know that our regional MLAs have been
advocating for this service and demanding that our region receive the 24/7
emergency medical helicopter transportation it both needs and deserves, so I
suggest it is now time to take it higher and voice our demands directly to the
Minister of Health and our Premier. The collective strength of our voices can,
and has, accomplished remarkable things in this region in recent years and I
believe this situation is no different. Perhaps you reside in this region and
wish this service to continue. Perhaps you reside in another part of this
country and work in this region. Perhaps you have family who live, work or play
in this region. The reality is that if this region touches your life in any way
then this issue has the potential to impact you as those emergencies, the ones
that happen in the middle of the night, are never expected and we never expect
them to touch our lives – and yet they do.
We need to advocate for
ourselves and for Phoenix Heli-Flight as they have carried the burden of
advocacy for long enough. We need to contact our government representatives,
our unions, our employers and anyone and everyone that we believe will benefit
from continued 24/7 emergency helicopter services. We need to ensure they
understand that we believe this service must continue and that we believe the
small financial investment it will require from industry and government is more
than compensated for by the economic power and benefits generated by this
region.
The reality is that we
never know when one of those middle of the night emergencies may touch our life
– and in this case we may lose the very service that could save our lives. Let’s
make sure that doesn’t happen. Click on the links below - and let your voice be heard.
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