WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S NEXT, WHAT’S UP AT STARS

IN THIS ISSUE:

STARS’ finAnciAl picTuRe iS veRy poSiTive

MeeT veRy iMpoRTAnT pATienT JASon GuenTheR

eMeRGency ReSpondeRS debRief A MiSSion

stars.ca

MANITOBA | FALL 2014

A second STARS vehicle is poised to begin visiting rural communities across Manitoba, but this one moves along on four wheels.

The STARS Mobile Education Unit is a travelling critical-care training program in a modified motorhome, staffed with experienced educators.

Inside the motorhome is a sophisticated human patient simulator which replicates complex medical and traumatic problems over and over again. It’s essentially a large emergency room with a mannequin that speaks and breathes, blinks and has reactive pupils, has a heartbeat and mirrors human responses to such procedures as CPR, intravenous medication, intubation, ventilation and catheterization.

The equipment and training provide an excellent opportunity for health-care providers to hone their skills and apply critical-care knowledge through high-fidelity simulation, said Brent Bekiaris, a flight paramedic and leader of the MEU program in Manitoba.

Bekiaris is looking forward to visiting more communities throughout the province, once the program launches.

“For our rural providers, STARS offers an opportunity for health-care workers to train

within their own communities, creating a realistic team environment,” he said. “This program provides a rewarding experience not only for the rural providers but also for ourselves as we continue to build on our partnerships within the chain of survival.”

For Dr. Christo Minnaar, STARS’ MEU program is there to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical experience. Minnaar calls simulation training an integral part of emergency medicine with well-established benefits, including improving patient outcomes.

“Rarely performed and potentially life-saving but dangerous procedures can be simulated and practiced in a safe environment using this program,” said Minnaar, who is the chief of staff for the Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach, and an emergency room physician. “STARS’ equipment is high fidelity and the team works fluently together.”

The MEU program also operates in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

HealtH on wHeelsTravelling program a boosT for rural healTh-care providers

STARS’ Mobile educATion uniT iS equipped wiTh An AdvAnced huMAn pATienT SiMulAToR. FouR oF TheSe ModiFied vehicleS TRAvel To RuRAl coMMuniTieS ThRoughouT AlbeRTA, SASkATchewAn And MAniTobA.

2 3

MAniTobA | FAll 2014

pleASe diRecT coMMenTS, inquiRieS And leTTeRS To:

sTars communications155a West hangar road Winnipeg, manitoba r3J 3Z1204.786.4647newsletter@stars.castars.ca

please visit staRs.Ca for more

information about sTars and our

activities. for your convenience,

online donations to sTars

can also be made through our

website. Thank you for your interest and support!

sTars, sTars and design (logo), sTars emergency link centre, sTarbear, sTar- 1, sTar-2, sTar-3, sTar-4, sTar-5, sTars & spurs, sTars & spurs gala, sTars & spurs gala and design, The sTars centre, red ring for life, red ring for life and design, ceo rescue, and ceo rescue in the rockies for sTars are registered canadian trademarks owned by shock Trauma air rescue society. sTars foundation and sTars canada are registered marks owned by shock Trauma air rescue society.

The shock Trauma air rescue service foundation is a licensed user of sTars, sTarbear, sTars and design (logo), sTars & spurs, sTars & spurs gala, sTars & spurs gala and design.

sTars aviation canada inc. is a licensed user of sTars, sTar-1, sTar-2, sTar-3, sTar-4 and sTar-5.

shock Trauma air rescue society is accredited as a full “critical care provider” by the commission on accreditation of medical Transport systems (camTs). When the accreditation was initially awarded in 1998, sTars was the first international air medical program to achieve such distinction.

Eight community and business leaders raised more than $200,000 in one day at this year’s Rescue on the Island STARS air ambulance fundraising event on Elk Island, north of Victoria Beach on Sept. 10.

“Manitoba is a very caring community,” said event participant Andy Dutfield, vice president of Lafarge Canada Inc. “I want to do my share for Manitobans by supporting STARS, and it’s my intention to continue doing that on an ongoing basis.”

Dutfield and the other participants were airlifted by STARS, and an Allied Wings helicopter, to the island where they competed against each other to raise the most funds in one day using their mobile phones and personal networks.

Each was presented with a series of challenges, including building sand castles, a medical challenge, and an SOS signaling contest.

“It’s not every day that you see eight top executives building sandcastles on a deserted remote island,” said Winnipeg base director and pilot Dave Harding, adding that not all the activities were trivial.

The medical challenges included participants trying to correctly insert needles into pork legs and safely secure a patient to a backboard.

“This was an opportunity to build awareness about the service we provide to Manitobans, while also raising funds and connecting with some of our community leaders in a fun and interactive way,” said Harding.

Near the end of the day an RCAF Hercules from 17 Wing Winnipeg helped judge the participants ground to air signals and performed an air drop of supplies as part of the SOS challenge.

“STARS has capabilities which can be called upon to support the overall search and rescue system,” said Harding. “This event presented an opportunity to strengthen our operational partnership.”

Visit rescueontheisland.ca to learn more about the event and the event participants.

ResCue on tHe Island RaIses awaReness and $200,000 foR staRssTranded communiTy leaders compeTe againsT one anoTher

chuck dAvidSon, pReSidenT And ceo oF The MAniTobA chAMbeRS oF coMMeRce (leFT) wAS STRAnded wiTh STARS piloT, AndRew dAvidSon.

THIS yEAR’S BRAvE cOMPETITORS INcLUdEd:

• TRAcy chAppell – owner, chappell Ag ventures inc.

• chuck dAvidSon - president, Manitoba chamber of commerce

• Andy duTfield - vice president, lafarge canada inc.

• MARTin hARdeR - Mayor of Winkler

• fRed hiebeRT – owner, united Transportation driver Training

• Michelle lAlonde – president, Tiber River naturals

• bRAd leMAy - Grunthal lions club and owner, leMazing Mechanical

• vlAd pleSkoT - owner, vp express inc. and star of history network’s “ice Road Truckers”

BIg Red HelICopteRs, and moRe

pReSidenT And ceo AndReA RobeRTSon

Ceo message

When you think of STARS you likely think of a bright red helicopter in the sky, enroute to pick up a critically ill or injured patient.

You might think about to which community the helicopter is headed; the fate of the patient and you might say a quiet wish for the family.

At STARS we love our helicopters (all 11 of them) and we are humbled any time we embark on a mission and enter a patient’s life. The speed and ability of our aircraft, coupled with our highly trained and skilled crews, make a difference for patients across Western Canada every day.

Not everyone STARS helps is inside our helicopter, however.

Our educators reached out to communities across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into B.C., throughout the year. Recently, we launched our mobile education unit program in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, an initiative which has long been operating in Alberta. As part of the program – the first of its kind in North America - our staff travels in a modified motorhome to rural and remote areas to help health-care workers in those communities build on their skills. As is often the case, some doctors, nurses and paramedics in these communities might only see a traumatic injury or severe illness a handful of times in their career. When we visit, we use a human patient simulator to replicate complex medical and traumatic problems, offering medical personnel an opportunity to test and practice their reactions and skills so they are ready if tragedy strikes.

The outreach and training is free for the participants and the experience invaluable.

We help businesses and communities in other ways, too, through our work alone program, our worksite registration initiative and our emergency contact centre, which are all operated through the STARS Emergency Link Centre. Meanwhile, in Saskatchewan we are a key partner in the provincial government’s Collaborative Emergency Centres program, in which we share our highly trained physicians with health care staff at rural hospitals. The initiative, which operates in regions that have difficulty maintaining 24-hour service, helps to ensure that everyone in the community has access to urgent care. Read more about this unique initiative on page 7.

From the beginning - 29 years ago - STARS has never just been about a helicopter; it’s always been about better patient care. It’s always been about finding ways to improve care for you, your family and your friends – whether they are in our helicopters or not.

AndReA RobeRTSonpresident & ceosTars and sTars foundation

Not everyone STARS helps is inside our helicopter.

boARd oF diRecToRSas of september, 2014

(S) Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society(F) Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation

dr. lloyd axworthy (s)UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEg, WINNIPEg

linda Banister (s)BANISTER RESEARCH & CONSULTINg INC., EDMONTON

Bob Brennan (s)CORPORATE DIRECTOR, WINNIPEg

dino deluca (s)BURNET, DUCkWORTH AND PALMER LLP, CALgARY

dr. anne doig (s)FAMILY PHYSICIAN, SASkATOON

Randy garvey (f)CANADIAN WESTERN BANk, EDMONTON

michael Hoffort (s, f)FARM CREDIT CANADA, REgINA

Kent Kaufield (s)ERNST & YOUNg LLP, CALgARY

Rod Kennedy (s, f) RBC DOMINION SECURITIES INC., RED DEER

dr. John Kortbeek (s)FOOTHILLS MEDICAL CENTRE, CALgARY

dan maclean (f)CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CALgARY

sean mcBurney (f)kORN/FERRY INTERNATIONAL, CALgARY

greg melchin (s) CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CALgARY

david mowat (s)BOARD CHAIR, STARS SOCIETYATB FINANCIAL, EDMONTON

Irene pfeiffer Cm (f) MOORgATE HOLDINgS LTD.,OkOTOkS

dale Riddell (f)CORPORATE DIRECTOR, EAST ST. PAUL

lionel Robins (f)INDEPENDENT ENTREPRENEUR, gRANDE PRAIRIE

evan saugstad (s) SPECTRA ENERgY, FORT ST. JOHN

scott saxberg (s) CRESCENT POINT ENERgY CORP., CALgARY

myron stadnyk (s,f)ARC RESOURCES, CALgARY

Ben Voss (s,f)BOARD CHAIR, STARS SOCIETYMLTC RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT LP, SASkATOON

pat Youzwa (f, s) CORPORATE DIRECTOR, REgINA BOARD CHAIR, FOUNDATION

>27,000 MISSIONS SINCE 1985

2,732MIS

SIO

NS

LAST

YEA

R 11HELICOPTERS

MISSIONSA DAY7AN

AVE

RAGE

OF

BASESIN WESTERNCANADA6 140

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES HANDLEDON INDUSTRY SITES LAST YEAR

70,000REMOTE INDUSTRY SITES MONITORED

52EMERGENCY CALLS A DAY

47,468 DONORS IN 2013

1,276O U T R E A C H E D U C A T I O N F O R

M E D I C A LP R O F E S S I O N A L S

eXpendItuRes $000 %

AVIATION OPERATIONS 26,110 39%

CLINICAL OPERATIONS 16,401 24%

STARS EMERGENCY LINK CENTRE 3,688 5%

BASE OPERATIONS ANd AdMINISTRATION

10,155 15%

AMORTIZATION 6,444 9%

INTEREST 378 1%

FUNdRAISING AdMINISTRATION 4,467 7%

total 67,643

net funds RaIsed $000 %

LOTTERY 11,496 17%

dONATIONS & FUNdRAISING 22,631 34%

CALENdAR 1,030 1%

GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS 26,950 40%

OTHER 4,038 6%

INVESTMENT 1,244 2%

total 67,389

chARiTy inTelliGence RAnked The STARS loTTeRy AS one of The MoST efficienT loTTeRieS SuRveyed in cAnAdA.

ThAnkS To you, We Sold MoRe cAlendARS ThiS yeAR ThAn eveR befoRe.

fundIng

ouR helicopTeRS WeRein fliGhT foR 4,341 houRS.

How we spend

in AddiTion To TWo piloTS, ApARAMedic And nuRSe ARe on-cAll AT eveRy STARS bASe 24-7. phySiciAnS ARe eiTheR on The helicopTeR oR AvAilAble by phone.

ouR TeAM in The STARS eMeRGency link cenTRe - A 24-houR MedicAl coMMunicATionS cenTRe - ReSponded To neARly 14,000 cAllS ReGARdinG cRiTicAlly ill And inJuRed pATienTS.

2013/14 opeRatIonal and fInanCIal HIgHlIgHts

The financial picture for STARS’ 2013-14 fiscal year is very positive. STARS is well supported by a number of different revenue streams – from government funding to corporate donations to fundraising initiatives, such as the STARS lottery, special

events and even the Horizons newsletter you are reading now.

By receiving funding from a number of different sources, STARS is able to count on stable, consistent revenue that enables us to carry out our mission. As you can see in the Funding table, each program is important as it contributes to our overall financial sustainability.

We don’t anticipate any major changes to our financial outlook in the year ahead. Expenditures will increase moderately as a result of both inflation and a continued rise in mission volume. We will direct our fundraising efforts accordingly to ensure our patient needs continue to be met.

Our full, audited financial report is available on our website at stars.ca. If you have any questions about our financial summary, I would encourage you to contact us at info@stars.ca or by mail to any of our bases.

Jeff Quick, cAChief Financial Officer Executive Vice President, STARS Foundation

This places STARS well within industry norms for fundraising costs and significantly below the 35 cent threshold recommended by the Canada Revenue Agency.

It costs STARS 13¢ to raise a dollar.

10¢ 1¢

1¢

1¢

$1

GOvERNMENT FUNdING FUNdRAISING

76%

BReaKdown of ReVenue BY souRCe

ALBERTA SASKATcHEWAN MANITOBA

24%53%47%

93%

7%

The financial picture for STARS’ 2013-14 fiscal year is very positive.

6 7

starsinmanitoba.caGet to know your Manitoba STARS crew members and the patients our doctors, nurses and paramedics treat. We’ve created a special website for people who would like to learn more about how we operate in Manitoba.

facebook.com/starsairambulance our facebook page is the place to find unique and interesting stories about our missions, patients, and everything else STARS-related. it’s also a great place to see interesting photographs and video clips.

twitter.com/starsambulanceif it’s quick facts you desire, look no further than our Twitter account, where you will find tidbits of information about STARS and be alerted when we are dispatched on missions.

instagram.com/starsairambulanceTo feed your hunger for cool STARS photography, we have an instagram site, which is the home for all our unique mission, event and donor photos. you can even submit your own STARS photos to be displayed on our site.

cONNEcTING WITH STARS HAS NEvER BEEN EASIER

Back@Base

summaRY: STAR-5 from Grande prairie , Ab accepts a mission to pick up a patient involved in a logging incident in the forest. in freezing temperatures, the air medical crew trudges through mid-thigh-deep snow amid challenging terrain to reach and treat the patient before his transport to hospital. it took many first responders to make this mission a success: here’s how some of those involved remember the call.

e m e r g e n c y r e s p o n d e r s d e B r i e f a s T a r s m i s s i o n

16:07: STARS is dispatched to an Alberta worksite north of grande Cache after a worker is struck by a fallen tree. the patient is unconscious and there’s concern he might have critical injuries. The patient is located down a mountain and across a ravine, which makes landing the helicopter near the patient impossible. STARS’ pilots find a spot on a small dirt road and the medical crew, along with fire fighters, hike in to the scene for an hour where they are met by RCMP and EMS.

18:11: Once the patient was packaged, the crew and other first responders made their way out of the bush and up the mountain. given all the trees, deep snow and rough terrain it wasn’t going to be easy. Thankfully, fire fighters from grande Cache were trained in slope rescue and tied ropes to a sled, which in turn were secured to trees. Once tied, firefighters at the bottom pushed the sled with the patient up several metres and held him steady, while the ones at the top would untie the ropes and start again, inching him up the mountain.

Meanwhile, the crew had lost cell phone contact with the pilots, who typically wait with the aircraft at scene calls. Instead, the crews stayed in touch through a satellite phone, that they used to call the STARS Emergency Link Centre, which relayed messages. myers and gauthier were concerned since they returned in a different direction than they entered and weren’t sure of the most efficient route to meet up with the helicopter. Once the first responders and patient reached the top of the hill the path ended and the route to the helicopter became impassable.

19:00: The first words R.J. Callaghan heard when he arrived for his night shift at the ELC were: “our crew is separated from the helicopter.” After more than seven years in the ELC it was the first time he’d been faced with such a situation. Myers obtained coordinates from the satellite phone and Callaghan tapped them into a program used in the ELC. From there, Callaghan was able to see which direction they needed to head and for how long they needed to walk, in relation to the helicopter’s coordinates.

21:00: Following an extraordinary mission, the patient is loaded into the STARS helicopter and carried to grande Prairie’s Queen Elizabeth II Hospital where he is admitted in stable condition.

Sherry GauthierSTARS nurse

“ The patient was being kept warm by several fires that his coworkers had built around him. He was stable, but it was clear he needed critical care.”

“ That’s when I realized this is for real and that I was going to have to lead this crew out. Although the situation could have been a lot worse, it was the first time I’d encountered that kind of pressure.”

R.J. CallaghanCommunication specialist, STARS Emergency Link CentreJamey Myers

STARS paramedic

“ That’s when I contacted the ELC for help. I knew if anyone was going to be able to get us out it would be them. They aren’t only great communicators and cool under pressure - they are mapping specialists.”

Jamey MyersSTARS paramedic

“ There were ten to 12 fire fighters with knowledge of the area and they all took turns with a scoop stretcher climbing over rocks and downed trees to get this patient out of the cold as quickly as possible.”

When pressed to name the vital fluids on board a STARS helicopter, you may think of blood or medications. But how about jet fuel and engine oil?

While blue-suited pilots and air medical crew members are synonymous in many people’s minds with STARS, a contingent of lesser known employees – the engineering department – work day and night to ensure missions can take to the sky.

This team and the work they perform, is never far from the mind of Dwight Webb, director of maintenance for STARS. Webb’s role is to oversee more than 20 aircraft maintenance engineers who “turn wrenches” on the fleet of 11 STARS helicopters.

In order to perform their duties, engineers go through extensive education and hands-on training. “They start at a trade school for two years which gives them 18 month’s accreditation towards their required 48 months of apprenticeship,” says Webb. “After that, it’s another 30 months of apprentice work to gain your certification as an aircraft maintenance engineer.”

The team work across STARS’ six bases, with the engineers on-call 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Daytime shifts may entail preventative maintenance to keep the aircraft ship-shape or repairing items to resolve issues reported by the pilots. They are even called upon to affix donor logos to the helicopters from time to time.

According to Webb, performing the work in-house is more cost-effective, and ensures STARS can maintain around-the-clock coverage and retain skilled staff.

Supporting the engineers are a technical records administrator, quality assurance team members, and engineering stores clerks who maintain the extensive inventory of parts kept on hand.

One of these stores people, Melanie Edwards, works out of the Edmonton, AB base. “Every part, every tire, every ounce of grease or oil comes from us,” she notes. Maintaining a precise inventory of the thousands of items on hand is a daunting task – Edwards jokes “you have to be neurotic about organization” – but it’s one with great importance.

“We ensure the parts our engineers install are safe and available without delay, so we’re just as important to the safety of the flight as anyone else on the team,” says Edwards. She proudly notes that the history and origin of every part is methodically tracked to ensure it is safe for use.

For Edwards, the value of the engineering team is clear. “Without elves, there wouldn’t be Christmas and without engineers, there wouldn’t be STARS. Without them, nobody can fly and we couldn’t save lives.”

‘tuRnIng wRenCHes’ to saVe lIVesa Team of engineers and supporT sTaff Work Tirelessly To keep The sTars fleeT in The air

SToReS cleRkS MelAnie edwARdS And MATThew leSko help MAnAge The exTenSive invenToRy oF helicopTeR pARTS.

If You would lIKe to maKe a gIft to Help suppoRt staRs:• Call our Donations Department at 204-786-4647. • make an online Donation at stars.Ca

staRs HoRIzons | fall 2014Shock Trauma Air Rescue SocietyShock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation

RetuRn undelIVeRaBle Items to: staRs winnipeg Base155a west HangaR RoadwInnIpeg, manItoBa R3J 3z1

We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter, Horizons, where we aim to keep you informed about what we’re up to at STARS. If you would like to receive regular newsletter updates please send us a note to newsletter@stars.ca or call us at 204-786-4647.

2002532

Six-year-old Jason guenther was living a boy’s dream on Aug. 10, 2013. He and a handful of other children were atop a colourful float in Winkler, Manitoba’s annual summer parade, waving and throwing candy to familiar faces in the crowd.

“It started out as one of the best days of his life,” said Elma guenther, Jason’s mom.

Instead, an excited Jason stumbled as he jumped from the float and the vehicle rolled over him. The parade halted as the boy lay injured on the ground. Paramedics stationed nearby responded quickly, taking Jason to Boundary Trails Health Centre. While en route, the health-care team feared Jason sustained internal injuries and required urgent critical care, so STARS was requested. As the pilots flew to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, the air medical crew worked on Jason in the back of the helicopter.

Many in the small community of Winkler, on the western edge of Manitoba’s Red River Valley, were devastated by Jason’s incident and rallied around his family. His mother was touched by the kindness of so many, including STARS.

“I was in awe,” said Elma guenther. “When the crew came to get Jason they were so calm, organized and professional I knew right away he was in good hands.” Mayor Martin Harder agrees that the residents of Winkler are in good hands with STARS just a phone call away.

Over the past year, STARS has visited the rural town three times and has flown 17 other patients from the area. Harder knows several of the patients from Winkler and is pleased to know all of them have recovered well from their injuries.

“You don’t realize how much you appreciate the service until someone in your community depends on it,” said the mayor. “We, like many communities across Manitoba, are hard-working people who want the best for our families. We see STARS as an additional safety net for when the unexpected happens.”

Jason, meanwhile, has recovered nicely and is back playing with friends, going to school and keeping busy. “I feel great,” said Jason, now 7.

ComIng togetHeRcoMMuniTy And STARS ARe TheRe when young boy iS injuRed by A pARAde FloAT

featuRe VIp

jASon guenTheR