To the Editor:
This week while shopping at Extra Foods, a fundraising company was asking for donations for STARS air ambulance.
Although this is a worthy cause, they are misrepresenting themselves by telling the public that STARS is flying out of the Creston airport. If you go to the STARS air ambulance website, it clearly states there are three bases in Alberta, one in Saskatchewan and one in Manitoba.
Last year, my brother in law confirmed with STARS headquarters that Creston is not on STARS' response list. They cannot fly into Creston without refuelling. They have flown a few missions out of Cranbrook, but none from Creston.
While I stood there listening to this individual, I heard him say that STARS is flying out of Creston, so I asked him if he was 100 per cent sure that STARS was flying out of Creston and he answered yes.
Again although STARS is a wonderful service, these donation dollars are leaving our community to support a non-local service, when there are organizations in Creston like the Creston Airport Society, BC Air Ambulance or our local fire department and emergency services, who are volunteers and professionals working with the community and for the community to ensure that our airport and emergency response remains available for medevac flights with our current provider, which is not STARS, but is BC Air Ambulance.
I feel that I need to inform the community that their donation dollars are not supporting the Creston community. If you have bought a calendar with the understanding that STARS is flying out of Creston, I encourage you to go online at calendar@stars.ca or call them on their toll-free number, 1-877-778-8288, and let them know how you feel about being misled.
Sue Eheler
Lister