The ORNGE is rotten

Back in the late 90's I was privileged to be one of the managers responsible for the Ontario Air Ambulance Service. We offered a basic service but highly efficient service. For approximately $60 Million a year we provided 15,000 air ambulance flights a year across the province with a team of some of the best flight medics in North America, if not the world. With Mike Harris those costs were reduced by approximately $6 Million, without a huge impact to the patients by reducing non-emergency patient transfer flights.

We contracted with Canadian Helicopters to provide a fleet of S76 Sikorski helicopters, the Cadillac, of helicopters in the EMS world with ample patient care space, good range, and high reliability. Fixed wing flights were provided though a group of private air carriers that were required to meet some fairly stringent standards.

Managers were paid $60-70,000 per year and the entire team of non-operational staff consisted of 6 managers and a similar number of admin. assistants. A year ago there were 200 operational staff and 200 administrative staff in ORNGE, with costs of approximately $170 Million. Yet the number of flights have not increased significantly. But with Senior Staff salaries ranging from $200,000 to $1.4 Million, the service has been turned into a scandal.

The most unfortunate aspect of the scandal is that the paramedics, pilots, flight followers, and other front line staff have been dragged down through poor leadership. The service needs to re-instill the pride of the work that they do day in and day out.

Lets start with getting rid of the name ORNGE and all of the connotations it has. Then it is time to demonstrate to the citizens of Ontario, though a concerted effort, the high quality service that they receive from the team of professional front line staff.

Lives continue to be saved and changed for the better every day because of the skill and efforts of these women and men who continue to labour under the shadow of this scandal.

http://www.thestar.com/topic/ornge

In