New EHS LifeFlight Helicopters In Service

Two new medical helicopters are now in service and able to land on hospital helipads.

“EHS LifeFlight is a vital part of Nova Scotia’s emergency medical services and provides critical care to people all over the Maritimes,” said Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey. “For EHS LifeFlight, time matters. These new helicopters can get patients to hospital faster and they have important equipment available to critical care teams when they need it most.”

LifeFlight Tango and LifeFlight November are Sikorsky S-76 C+ aircraft with innovative technology that exceeds any emergency medical aircraft in use in Canada today. They have been specifically designed, inside and out, for use by Nova Scotia’s critical care teams.

EHS LifeFlight responds to between 700 and 800 calls a year. With two helicopters, LifeFlight will be able to respond more often because there will be minimal downtime for maintenance and scheduled repairs.

The new helicopters feature:

• state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems that improve safety, including automatic voice alerts, surveillance, and real-time Environment Canada weather feed – the first of its kind in Canada
• back-up life-saving equipment, like oxygen outlets and regulators, and a back-up generator to fuel that equipment
• a night vision goggle-compatible cockpit
• climate control that provides a better environment for the patient and crew.

“It is a great privilege for our medical and aviation teams to serve Nova Scotians,” said Steve Crocker, critical care paramedic, LifeFlight. “The new upgrades will better support everyone on the aircraft to provide the high-quality critical care people have come to expect from LifeFlight.”

Earlier this year, government announced it had reached an agreement with Canadian Helicopters Limited to outfit and operate two new air ambulance helicopters. The 15-year contract is valued at $105 million.

Nova Scotia is a Canadian leader in emergency health services, and has been recognized by Sikorsky for 20 years and 17,000 hours of accident-free medical services with EHS LifeFlight.

The new helicopters began service on Dec. 15.