Restrictions remain in place for air ambulance helicopters landing at Sechelt Hospital.
Transport Canada issued a non-compliance order the week of Aug. 8 that led Helijet to stop doing night landings with its Sikorsky model 76C helicopters at H1-designated helipads.
The decision involved seven hospitals with helipads near tall buildings, wooded areas or potential navigation obstacles like power lines.
A Transport Canada spokesperson said the agency found “areas of non-compliance” with the safety requirements outlined in the flight manuals for the Sikorsky 76C. “Flight manuals stipulate whether day or night operations are permitted [and] Transport Canada requires that operators adhere to the limitations detailed in the aircraft flight manual.”
The concern for Sunshine Coast residents goes beyond the local hospital. Many trauma cases flown off the Coast are bound for Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), and the helipad at VGH is also under restrictions, potentially adding several crucial minutes to the time it takes to transfer a patient.
One Gibsons resident has started an online petition urging Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons to bring up the issue with the province. In the preamble to the petition on change.org, Glenda Sewards wrote, “Two years ago my mom was Helijetted out of Sechelt Hospital at 11:30 p.m. to VGH and it saved her life.”
Flight regulations are a federal responsibility, but Simons notes the provincial government should ensure adequate health care, and this is a health care issue. “I’ve had letters from a few [constituents] who said [helicopter medevacs] saved their lives,” Simons said “I think some sort of exceptions or conditional approvals need to be put in place so we’re not completely isolated.”
Danny Sitnam, president of Helijet, told Coast Reporter this week, “We continue to cooperate with Transport Canada towards agreeing on terms towards returning to service [at] selected hospital heliports.”
It’s unclear how many flights have been diverted at Sechelt Hospital. Vancouver Coastal Health doesn’t track that statistic, and BC Emergency Health Services wasn’t able to provide the information by Coast Reporter’s deadline.
