Air Ambulance Services at Oyen – Update from Municipal Partners

The Special Areas Board, along with the Town of Oyen and the MD of Acadia, are working to support restoration of 24-hour air ambulance services in Oyen, AB. Alberta Health Services confirmed in March 2023 that the Oyen airport presents a higher-than-expected risk profile for air ambulance pilots during nighttime or low visibility operations. This is a result of some unique on and off airport features observed by air ambulance pilots, and has impacted the ability of air ambulance services to fly in and out of the airport in inclement weather and dark hours.

“Air ambulance services are a lifeline for our communities. Special Areas recognizes how critical these services are and how important 24-hour access is. We are working with our municipal partners and AHS to get these services restored as quickly as possible.”
- Jordon Christianson, Chair, Special Areas Board

“Making sure critical care is available when you need it, no matter where you live in the province, is why air ambulance services are so important. The Town is collaborating hard with our partners to get this service restored to make sure the people can access this kind of critical care when they need it in Oyen.”
- Doug Jones, Mayor – Town of Oyen

“The MD of Acadia is in a pretty remote part of the province, and we depend on air ambulance services to keep our communities and families safe. We are working to find solutions to these issues and get them fixed as quickly as we can.”
- Pete Rafa, Reeve – MD of Acadia

Air ambulance includes both fixed wing airplanes and helicopters and are closely integrated with ground ambulance and dispatch systems. Fixed wing air ambulance services are contracted by Alberta Health Services (AHS) to provide 24-hour air ambulance services throughout the province.

Municipal partners continue working with AHS representatives to develop solutions to allow 24-hour air ambulance services to be restored in Oyen. Short term concerns being worked on include getting the unlit wind turbine located directly on the approach to the Oyen airport lit and updating flight planning information. Beyond these short-term mitigations, municipal partners have approved funding for the installation of Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) and GPS approach systems for the Oyen airport. Municipal partners are also investigating opportunities to increase runway length and width, including potential grant funding.

For more information related to this issue, please contact Wanda Diakow with Special Areas Regional Economic Development at (403) 575-9533 or wanda.diakow@specialareas.ab.ca.