Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society
STARS logo
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| Commenced operations | 1985 | ||||||
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| Operating bases |
Calgary Edmonton Grande Prairie Regina Saskatoon Winnipeg |
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| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Parent company | Shock Trauma Air Rescue Foundation | ||||||
| Headquarters | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||||||
| Key people | D. Gregory Powell (Founder) | ||||||
| Website | www |
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The Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) is a non-profit helicopter air ambulance organization funded by individual donors, service groups, corporate donors and government contributions. STARS provides rapid and specialized emergency care and transportation for critically ill and injured patients. STARS operates from bases in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.
STARS was formed in Calgary, Alberta to provide emergency medical care and transport to the critically ill and injured after founder Dr. Gregory Powell, who was working as an emergency room physician at the time, lost a patient: a young mother who died en route to the hospital because of the time it took to transport her by ground from her rural home. Powell had worked as a physician on Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units during the Vietnam War and knew that a helicopter ambulance service could mean the difference between life and death for critical patients who need immediate assistance and are not near a major trauma center.
He created a nonprofit organization, Shock Trauma Air Rescue Services Foundation, to provide helicopter rescue and transport in and around Calgary. The local Lions Club provided seed money. The Foundation created its working arm, Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS), which carried out its first mission on December 1, 1985. Since then, more than 24,000 missions have been carried out.
In 2012, Andrea Robertson was named President and Chief Executive Officer of STARS, replacing Powell, who had served in that role for 27 years.
Over the years, the STARS fleet has grown from a single helicopter to seven Eurocopter BK117s serving eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The BK117 helicopter covers an approximate 250 km radius and can hold one critical patient or can be converted to hold two patients should circumstances require. The operating range can be extended further when refueling is available.
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