New Beechcraft air ambulances stationed at Fort St. John airport, elsewhere in BC

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The province’s fleet of air ambulances is getting an upgrade, including the one stationed in Fort St. John.

The B.C. government announced Friday, June 7th, that it’s replacing its current fleet of vehicles with Beechcraft King Air ambulances stationed across the province.

Air ambulances allow patients to get treatment as they’re being flown to hospital. They’re used for emergency response and transporting patients between medical facilities.

The new planes have features meant to benefit patients, including being able to land on gravel runways and compatibility with “power stretchers” for enhanced patient and paramedic safety.

One of the new planes will be in Fort St. John, with the rest in Vancouver, Kelowna, and Prince George.

“These new air ambulances mean that more people in B.C.’s rural and remote communities will have access to specialized critical care, while being transported to health-care facilities best equipped to meet their care needs,” says Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health Jennifer Rice.

“We continue to strengthen paramedic services in the harder to reach communities across the province because everyone deserves high-level critical care regardless of where they live.”

Funding for the new fleet of air ambulances comes from a provincial investment of $673,000,000 over ten years.