Âé¶¹Ó³»­

EMS unveils medical flight simulator

June 6, 2017

A mannequin gets the very best of care from EMS¡¯ Chris Bassil, left, and Michel Lacasse in the new AHS air ambulance flight simulator, the first of its kind in Canada.

AHS¡¯ new air ambulance simulator a Canadian first

Story and photo by Shelly Willsey

The air ambulance team of Âé¶¹Ó³»­ (AHS) has come up with a novel down-to-earth way to perfect their skills.

In fact, they never leave the ground on Canada¡¯s first mobile flight simulation trailer ¡ª developed in-house by AHS and partners ¡ª and unveiled June 1 by Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

The flight simulation trailer features the fuselage of a King Air 200 aircraft mounted on hydraulics to simulate take-off and landing. The simulator complements existing training and gives trainees high-fidelity, hands-on learning with the delivery of patient care as well as the placement of supplies and equipment on an air ambulance aircraft.

¡°Medics are already trained when they come in,¡± says Brent Thorkelson, EMS Staff Development Officer and project lead, ¡°but we¡¯re providing them with simulations that are evidence-based ¡ª and are identified as good simulations to be deliver to the practitioners to keep their competencies up,¡±

Although based at Edmonton International Airport, the flight simulation trailer will travel across Âé¶¹Ó³»­ to train EMS air ambulance paramedics, as well as partners in ground ambulance, hospital-based teams, post-secondary institutions and other healthcare professionals.

There are 10 air ambulance bases and about 225 AHS air ambulance paramedics across the province.
¡°There weren¡¯t any other examples of mobile simulation units that use an actual aircraft fuselage, so it was up to our team to determine how to make it work,¡± says Thorkelson.

¡°Fitting an aircraft with simulation equipment into a trailer and making it mobile was a unique process. The success of this project can be attributed to the talent of the dedicated people who put our imagination into reality.¡±

A fully-equipped King Air 200, which replicates Âé¶¹Ó³»­¡¯s fixed-wing air ambulances, was donated by Lakeland College. The simulator¡¯s design was developed by the Learning and Development team of AHS EMS through collaboration with AHS air ambulance and AHS partners.

¡°We¡¯re committed to ensuring all Âé¶¹Ó³»­ns have access to high-quality air ambulance care,¡± says EMS Chief Paramedic Darren Sandbeck. ¡°Simulation training enables learners to practise and master individual and team skills. Rehearsal is one of the best methods of learning, and it¡¯s a benefit to our patients to have well-rehearsed teams delivering care.¡±

The $739,000 project was funded by a Government of Âé¶¹Ó³»­ grant. Donations included a new, fully-functional LifePort bed, an Alere EPOC blood analysis system and video laryngoscope parts from Karl Storz Endoscopy.

The mobile flight simulator will be integrated air ambulance training later this year.