Ornge, the medical transport company, has announced it will begin operating a helicopter base out of Oshawa Municipal Airport later this year.
"Ornge continuously strives to improve care for Ontario patients, and this new operation will help us enhance our coverage throughout this region," Tom Lepine, chief operating officer of the not-for-profit company, said Wednesday in a news release.
Ornge said that several factors supported its selection of Oshawa to serve southeast Ontario:
- a NAV Canada control tower
- nearby fire rescue
- 24-hour fuel service
- radar coverage to 3,000 feet (914 metres)
An opening date hasn't been announced yet, but Gannon Loftus, an Ornge spokesperson, said it will hopefully be in the fall. A hangar at the Oshawa airport must be renovated to meet Ornge's needs, he said.
The announcement of Ornge’s new Oshawa base has delighted the city’s mayor.
"Where seconds mean saving lives, the Oshawa base will provide critical life saving service for our community, our region and Southeastern Ontario," Mayor John Henry said in a statement.
Southeastern Ontario is currently served by helicopter bases in Ottawa and at Toronto's Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, plus a land ambulance base in Peterborough. Loftus said the company hasn't operated out of Markham's Buttonville Airport for years.
Buttonville is scheduled to be closed in the next five years, with the land to be redeveloped.
Ornge is also creating its Ornge Transport Medicine Centre of Excellence, scheduled to open this fall at Hamilton International Airport. It will be equipped to handle both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
It announced in October 2010 that it would be closing its Toronto operation and consolidating in Hamilton.
