The Assiniboia and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a presentation about STARS Air Ambulance at its Lunch and Learn in June. Meghan Burns from STARS Air Ambulance gave a presentation along with Chad Rogers from Assiniboia who told his personal story of being assisted by STARS. STARS Air Ambulance is relatively new to Saskatchewan. The Calgary-based company has been in Saskatchewan for five years. It has two bases in this province and a total six bases with 11 helicopters in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Most bases have one helicopter and a back up.
The importance of STARS really hit home for attendees when Rogers recounted his farming accident and how STARS was essential to saving his life. He remembers the date vividly — June 25, 2014. Growing up on a farm, Rogers was an experienced farmer and set off haying north of Mazenod. A weak emergency brake caused his tractor with attached baler to start rolling downhill towards a dug out. Rogers was outside the tractor at the time and he couldn’t get back inside.
Rogers shared the excruciating details of his accident to illustrate how quickly an incident can get out of control and the valuable role STARS played. The tractor and 2,000 lb. baler rolled over his rib cage and legs causing serious internal bleeding and injuries. He managed to reach his cell phone in his pocket and text his parents.
STARS played an instrumental role in shortening the transport time to 15 minutes to the hospitals in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon. The helicopter also carried a specialized brace on board that even the hospital in Moose Jaw didn’t have that stabilized his pelvic break. They also carried blood to replenish the nine units Rogers lost from internal bleeding.
