Prince George, B.C. – For the second time  in less than a week, the  Helicopter emergency Rescue Operation Society has  received a $10 thousand dollar donation.

The donation came from Tempest Aviation Group  which supplies parts to  helicopter operators throughout Northern B.C.

(at right, Tempest  Aviation Group owners Laurie Saindon, centre, and Steve Reeves, right, present a cheque for $10,000 to Roberta Squire, executive director of Northern B.C. H.E.R.O.S. – photo submitted)

“It’s high time we get something in the North here,” said Saindon. “You look at other provinces that have air ambulance helicopters – Alberta has it totally covered and we’re just left in the dark here.”

With icy highways a fact of life in northern B.C., the risk of a serious accident increases exponentially in the cold-weather months. Last winter on Highway 16 from Prince Rupert to the B.C./Alberta border, 13 people died in eight accidents in a two-month stretch from early November to mid-January.

“We know this [helicopter] business and it’s all about response time, and there are so many holes here,” said Saindon. “When you get halfway between Prince George and Vanderhoof you’re 45 or 50 minutes away from the city in a ground ambulance, but in a helicopter you get there in half the time. People don’t give it much thought until it happens to someone who’s close to them, until it’s their father, mother or daughter.”

H.E.R.O.S. is trying to raise enough funds  to  convince the Provincial Government that a  helicopter service is warranted and supported in the north.  It is estimated the capital cost would be  in the   $6 million dollar range,  while annual operating costs would be  in the $4.5 million dollar  range.

H.E.R.O.S. will continue to encourage donations from local businesses like Tempest and will seek additional funding from governments, corporations and private individuals to help bring the service to Prince George within the next year.