The STARS air ambulance service began running night missions out of its Saskatoon base today.
STARS had been previously operating 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. out of the city but this will now be bumped up to around the clock service.
Kelly Brossart, an official with STARS, says now the employees providing the service out of Saskatoon have five months of experience, the organization feels the time is right to expand to the next level.
“Safety is a big priority for STARS and now that our clinical and aviation team have had some time to become comfortable with the terrain and getting used to that air medical environment, the time just seemed right to expand and start providing night service,” she says.
As part of the expansion, an additional five pilots and seven paramedics and nurses have been hired.
STARS began operating out of Regina in April 2012 and out of Saskatoon last October.
It has flown more than 275 missions out of Saskatchewan’s two major cities to date.