The Town of Peace River has recently launched a new website in order to save the Peace River Regional Airport (PRRA).
The website, called www.saveype.ca, is set to serve as a portal for users to keep up to date regarding negotiations with Alberta Health Services in awarding a 10-year contract for Air Ambulance Services.
Peace River Airport. (Photo/Panoramio)
And, as of late, the Town feels that it will threaten the future of the PRRA itself.
Mayor Tom Tarpey, in the latest edition of the Mayor’s Minute, told the newsroom that a 10-year contact is not the way to go.
“To me, that’s managerial laziness on the part of AHS,” he said. “It’s because a lot can happen in 10-years’ time, so those contracts need to be shorter.
“And plus, one of the problems with a 10-year contract, particularly when one provider runs nine of 11 air ambulance services,” Tarpey continued. “Is that if Transport Canada pulls the operating certificate for that one airline that means all helicopters are grounded. And that leaves just two planes to services all of Alberta.”
To date, Tarpey feels that AHS has not provided proof as of yet that the AHS recommended provider will provide better service than Northern Air, the current provider.
“(Northern Air) has pioneered bariatric flights for patients,” he said. “They’ve also pioneered scheduled Air Ambulance service, which I believe resulted in savings for AHS.”
And that’s one issue that Tarpey feels is key for any contact that’s signed.
“The (recommended provider), unlike our current one, has told us, in no uncertain terms, that they’re not interested in running a scheduled air service,” said Tarpey. “And that knocks the economic underpinnings for our airport.”
According to www.saveype.ca, AHS maintains that patient care won’t be impacted, and Peace River will continue to be served as an air ambulance base. But the town feels that conditions don’t support this, as there’s no current space available for the proposed air ambulance company.
The Town is now recommending that AHS put all the current air ambulance contracts into a one-year holdover position, and have the Auditor General conduct a review of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to identify the failings.
Other recommendations include AHS engaging in bona fida public consultation and engagement on what Albertans expect and want in their air ambulance service contracts, and how the RFP process should be structured.
The Tending 55 Newsroom has reached out to AHS and the Minister of Health via email. We are waiting for their response at this time.
Meanwhile, anyone who wants to learn more about this issue is free to check out the website, at www.saveype.ca.
As well, you can also listen to Episode Six of the Mayor’s Minute with Peace River Mayor Tom Tarpey right here…
– Posted by BET
