STATISTICS
- Five times a day, STARS helicopters take to the sky to bring our skilled medical crews to Albertans in need.
- An average flight costs $5,400.
- Each BK117 medically equipped helicopter costs $5 million.
- 1,529 missions were flown during the 2016-17 fiscal year from bases in Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie. Some of the destinations included communities in British Columbia.
- In that time, it served St. Albert four times and Morinville once.
- STARS is a charitable, non-profit organization, with the STARS Foundation being the fundraising arm of the organization.
- Approximately 20 per cent of STARS' total mission costs are funded by Alberta Health Services, with the rest coming from fundraising and community partnerships.
- STARS total operating expenses per base is approximately $10 million a year, equating to $30 million per year for Alberta's three bases.
– Courtesy of STARS Air Ambulance, found at www.stars.ca.
Frank and Beverley Kehoe might have trouble getting each other gifts when they celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this summer. The retired St. Albert couple spent Thursday contemplating their good fortune as winners of the STARS Air Ambulance lottery’s Edmonton dream home in the Griesbach neighbourhood.
It was their son, a former Medevac pilot, who first heard the news from his neighbour who caught the announcement. His son called them but they remained in disbelief, but only for another minute when the lottery’s office called to confirm the good news.
“When STARS phoned, hey, this sounds real. This is getting serious,” Frank said, struggling to keep from laughing. “We're just kinda got blown away this morning. Wow.”
Their phone was ringing off the hook for the rest of the day.
They said that they don’t usually buy any kind of lottery tickets but they sure support STARS for the great work that they do.
“We donated to it because we know how valuable that service is. Not to win it. We never win anything,” he stated.
“We have five children and 12 grandchildren, and they’re always on the highways and on the roads. To have that service is very, very important,” Beverley said, adding that their son had a deep sense of duty to his work.
“He always had real satisfaction knowing that, ‘Hey, you just rescued somebody. You just got them to the hospital. You saved their life.’ He had one child born while he was flying too. They said they should name it after the pilot. Whether they did or not, I don’t know,” Frank joked.
Two STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) helicopters based out of Regina were integral as part of the massive emergency response that arose out of the tragic Humboldt bus crash last week.
It’s still too early for the Kehoes to consider their plans after they take possession of the house at the end of June. The couple loves birds and they’re thrilled with the pond nearby.
“We’re still in awe,” Beverley said.
The foyer of the house (called The Carlisle) features an 18-foot vaulted ceiling and a grand open riser staircase. The great room is filled with windows framing a picturesque lake view. It was built by Concept Homes and has a retail value of $975,000.
The air ambulance service offers this lottery as a regular way for people to offer their support. It raised approximately $10 million for the organization with close to 100 per cent of the tickets sold. Visit www.starslotteryalberta.ca to learn more.
