HALO has released a statement regarding reinstatement of air ambulance services following a temporary suspension from an undisclosed safety incident in September. HALO says it has made a number of improvements following a Transport Canada investigation.--FILE PHOTO
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HALO air ambulance released a statement Tuesday confirming the official return to full operational service.
HALO says its has been working closely with Emergency Health Services to review and strengthen operational processes following an undisclosed safety incident in September.
Operational changes include new measures emphasizing structured pre-flight briefings, enhanced documentation and increased in-flight communications with EHS paramedics.
“Our priority has always been patient crew and safety,” said Paul Carolan, chief executive officer of HALO. “We took immediate action, worked collaboratively with our partners and used this as an opportunity to strengthen what was already a very strong safety culture.”
“EHS-Alberta values its partnership with HALO Air Ambulance,” said Les Fisher, interim executive director of People, Transformation and Support with EHS-Alberta in the HALO release. “The collaborative work undertaken over the past several weeks ensures the highest standard of safety and patient care as we continue to deliver critical emergency health services to Albertans.”
The Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the union representing the paramedics, criticized EHS for failing to adequately engage union members about the incident in an internal letter obtained by the News earlier this week.
In a statement to the News, EHS says it immediately suspended voluntary HALO operations as soon as it became aware of the incident.
“Following the incident, we engaged with the union as required and no unionized employees were required to participate in voluntary HALO operations until all health and safety matters were addressed,” the statement reads. “EHS-Alberta affirms that all employees have both the right and the responsibility to refuse any work they believe to be unsafe.”
