Paul Carolan, HALO Air Ambulance CEO is seen speaking during the 2026 Annual General Meeting Thursday night at the HALO hanger located at the Medicine Hat Airport. Carolan says last year was historic for the life-saving service as it was able to move its flight, maintenance and administrative operations all under one roof for the first time.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
After thousands of hours of work and preparation, research and evaluations, HALO Air Ambulance was able to internalize all helicopter operations into one hangar at the Medicine Hat Regional Airport in 2025, one of the biggest leaps forward for the organization, according to its executive director.
Speaking to reporters following the 2026 annual general meeting Thursday night, Paul Carolan says internalizing all operations and acquiring a hangar at the airport has always been a strategic plan of the air ambulance as it allows improved co-ordination and is expected to save more than $1.5 million in operating costs.
“Internalizing helicopter operations will always be one of the highlights of my career with HALO,” said Carolan. “It puts us all under one roof, quite literally, and puts our team together. The culture, the environment, the energy around the building is something that I love to come to work for every single day, and that was a milestone piece for HALO.”
The service was able to acquire the hanger at the airport last July and began moving operations immediately afterward.
Carolan says prior to moving all operations to its hangar, pilots and administration staff were separated by city blocks.
“So we’re all here now together, our boardroom is here, our community engagement people are here, we’ve got a place to meet with people, to answer questions, to have events and we’re really excited about that moving forward.”
It was also a milestone year in 2025 as HALO heavily expanded program development, and it is considered by many board members one of the most historic years in air ambulance history, says Carolan.
This includes ongoing discussion to develop a dedicated EMS staff to work with HALO permanently.
In 2025 approximately 79 per cent of all calls for service were emergency medical services that include motor vehicles collisions and medical emergencies, while the remaining calls were with search and rescue operations and providing support for local police agencies.
Last year HALO was also utilized for fire prevention efforts and says it will continue playing a role within wildfire prevention.
Carolan says HALO works closely with Cypress County firefighters and can provide aerial surveillance during a potential wildfire event.
“From an aerial recon perspective to see what’s ahead. So if you’re coming up over a valley and there’s a farmhouse or a family’s farmstead there and the fire is heading in that direction, now you know where you need to evacuate or protect,” explained Carolan. “So they get a really good bird’s eye view of what we’re looking at.”
Moving forward, HALO has also begun planning to expand its aircraft fleet and is researching the long-term infrastructure required to support that.
Early conversations are underway with regional partners in neighbouring Saskatchewan that share many of the same rural and remote challenges as Alberta communities.
This year HALO plans to increase local fundraising efforts following a productive year.
Last year fundraising income dipped from more than $580,000 in 2024 to more than $450,000 in 2025 due internalizing efforts, however this year staff have more time to focus efforts on fundraising.
Next year HALO will be celebrating its 20th anniversary serving the region from the U.S border in the south, to the Saskatchewan border in the East and the B.C border in the West, and past Lethbridge to the north.
