N.S. to lease 2 LifeFlight helicopters that can land at hospitals

The Nova Scotia government is adding two Sikorsky76 C+ helicopters to its LifeFlight service that will be able to land at hospital helipads.

The EHS serviceprovides critical care to ill and injured patients by flying them tohospital."It's critical," saidLarry Crewson, director of EHS.

He said the new helicopters will perform better, provide more power, and offer a bigger range than the existing LifeFlight helicopter. That one was built in 1980 andhas not been able to land on hospital helipads in Halifax and Digby since Aprildue to a change in Transport Canada regulations.

The helicopter has instead been landing on thePoint Pleasant Park helipad in Halifax and at the Digby airport.

Crewson said the new ones shouldn't have the same problem. While only one helicopter will be in use at any given time, having two means LifeFlight willbe able to answer 98 per cent of the calls, up from today's 80 per cent. LifeFlight responds to about 400 calls a year, and that could rise with the improved availability.

The province said it is finishing up negotiations to lease the Sikorsky76 C+ helicopters from its current LifeFlightprovider, Canadian Helicopters Ltd.

The helicopters were built in 2005. They will be refurbishedto suit LifeFlight's needs, said the Department of Health.

The province won't say how much the choppers will cost. Itsaid that information would not be available until its contract with Canadian Helicopters is finalized some time in January.

After the agreement is put through it will take about six months for the helicopters to arrive.