Work is ongoing to Powell River General Hospital’s helicopter pad that will ensure continued safe operation and allow helicopters to use the pad at night for the first time.
Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson Trudi Beutel said Transport Canada inspected the helipad in November 2009 along with other helipads throughout the province. They found noncompliant items, such as “non-standard flight path angles” and issues over directional lighting and marked obstacles. They also noted that the landing surface was not completely level. Beutel said all the issues found were common, but had to be dealt with.
Estimated cost for the project is $515,000, with 40 per cent of the budget being provided by Powell River Regional Hospital District. Design work began in August 2010 and the work began on March 28, 2011. While construction continues all helicopter flights are being routed out of the Powell River airport, something which Beutel said causes little inconvenience and from a safety point of view isn’t an issue.
“We haven’t heard any complaints from staff or any issues that have arisen because of it,” said Beutel. “It’s not ideal, but it’s certainly been manageable and there’s been no issues of patient health and safety.”
With the improvements helicopters will now be able to use the helipad at night, something which they were unable to do before. A marker light needs to be installed at the top of the radio antennae on the hospital and some power line marker balls need to be put in place before the nighttime flights can begin.
Major onsite work will be completed by the end of May but various smaller tasks will still be ongoing until August. Beutel said that daytime helicopter landings should be back by mid-June and that nighttime use will begin at the end of the summer, pending Transport Canada inspections.
