The Alberta Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) was formed in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 to provide emergency medical care and transport to the critically ill and injured. Since 1985, more than 20,000 missions have been carried out.

Over the years, the STARS fleet has grown from a single helicopter to five Eurocopter BK117's, serving eastern British Columbia and 94 per cent of the Alberta population from bases in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

 and Grande Prairie. Each helicopter covers a 250 km radius and can hold one critical patient, or two non-critical. The operating range can be extended further than 250 km when refueling is available.

The STARS Edmonton base opened in 1991 at the Edmonton City Centre Airport (CYXD) and the Grande Prairie base opened in 2006.

The STARS crew consists of a critical care nurse, an advanced life support paramedic, an emergency referral physician and two pilots.

Recently, the organization has been preparing for the arrival of two advanced technology helicopters that will fly faster, further and have the capacity to transport and care for two critically ill or injured patients. The new AgustaWestland AW139

AgustaWestland AW139

The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium sized twin-engined helicopter manufactured by AgustaWestland. Originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, it was redesignated the AW139 when Bell withdrew from the project...

 helicopters are scheduled to arrive in 2011, first in Edmonton and then Calgary.

STARS is equipped with night vision goggles, enhancing night rescue capabilities.

The STARS vision of saving lives through partnership, innovation and leadership is supported by four pillars: the Emergency Medical Communications, Patient Care & Transport, Education & Research and Fundraising & Community Partnerships.

STARS also managed the air ambulance service, in Nova Scotia, from 1996 to 2001.

STARS is currently in the process of expanding into Manitoba with a BK117 based in Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan, with BK117s based in Regina and Saskatoon. As a result of a large donation from Potash Corporation, the BK117 in Saskatoon will later be replaced with a AW139.

The helicopter in Manitoba is currently in operation, and the two helicopters in Saskatchewan will enter service in 2012.

Funding

STARS is a non-profit charitable organization. The Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation (STARS Foundation) is the fundraising arm for STARS. Funding needs are met through private donations received from individuals, service groups, businesses, corporations and collaborative affiliation agreements with Alberta Health Services.

STARS also holds a lottery

Lottery

A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...

every year which generates approximately 50 per cent of the mission operating costs. Other financial statements and annual reports are available at the STARS website here.

Other air ambulance operations in Alberta do not have equivalent public relations departments nor are they registered as charities.