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Helijet awarded Olympic air ambulance contract

Dec. 30, 2009, Richmond, B.C., – Richmond's Helijet International will play a critical emergency role in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games after being awarded a new contract with the B.C. Ambulance Service to operate two additional Sikorsky S-76 air ambulance helicopters during the Games.


December 30, 2009  By Melissa Damota

Dec. 30, 2009, Richmond, B.C., – Richmond's Helijet International will
play a critical emergency role in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games
after being awarded a new contract with the B.C. Ambulance Service to
operate two additional Sikorsky S-76 air ambulance helicopters during
the Games.

One of the helicopters will be stationed in Whistler near the athlete's
village, and the other near the event venues at Cypress Mountain in
North Vancouver. Both are dedicated to providing ambulance and patient
transfer services to medical facilities in Vancouver.

"We're proud to play such a critical role during the Games and to help
ensure athletes, officials and visitors have the fastest and most
reliable access to medical services anywhere," said Danny Sitnam,
President and CEO for Helijet. "We've developed a strong working
relationship with the BC Ambulance Service and we're pleased to carry
through this contract with our high level of commitment to passengers
and patients."

The aircraft to be used are now at Helijet's YVR facilities and are
being mission configured for the contract, with planned Games service
commencing in late January, thru March, 2010.

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This most recent contract is in addition to Helijet's existing B.C.
Ambulance Service contracts. Every year, Helijet air ambulance pilots
and BC Ambulance Service paramedics provide air medical transfers and
critical care for approximately 600 adults and infant patients on
Vancouver Island and in South Western B.C.

During the Games, Helijet will continue to operate its schedule
passenger flights between downtown Vancouver, YVR, and downtown
Victoria, as well as daily charter flights between Vancouver and
Whistler.

"We are pleased to once again renew our partnership with Helijet who,
for more than a decade now has been working with us to provide this
essential service to British Columbia," said Michael Essery,
Superintendent-Aviation Services, for the BC Ambulance Service.

Helijet International Inc. is a Canadian-owned company and is North
America's largest scheduled helicopter service. Helijet began flying
between Victoria and the mainland in 1986 and has carried more than 1.9
million passengers in the past 24 years and has been operating
dedicated air medically equipped helicopters for the Province of
British Columbia for the past 11 years.

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