ACCESS Air Ambulance

ACCESS Air Ambulance is a fixed wing air ambulance service in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The name stands for Aeromedical Critical Care Emergency Services Specialists. It is a partnership between Air Tindi Ltd. and Advanced Medical Solutions Inc.

Services

ACCESS holds the Government of the Northwest Territories contract for round the clock air ambulance service. It moves patients between communities and hospitals. The site says it also transfers patients from Northern Canada to the south for care.

Aircraft and bases

The service flies from two bases, Yellowknife and Inuvik. The site lists four dedicated aircraft: one King Air 200GT and three King Air 250 aircraft. It also mentions backup aircraft for extra capacity. The King Air 250 page lists a captain and a first officer, one or two critical care providers, and two stretchers, or one patient and one newborn incubator.

Aircraft and flight crews come from Air Tindi, based in Yellowknife, and Aklak Air, based in Inuvik. Medical crews come from Advanced Medical Solutions.

Coverage area

ACCESS serves 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. The service area page also mentions flights within Nunavut.

How a mission starts

A doctor at the receiving hospital asks for air transport, and the request goes to a control centre that works day and night. Pilots check weather and airstrip conditions at both ends and at two or more backup spots before they say go. A physician board certified in emergency medicine guides the medical crews on every mission.

Facts

• Type: air ambulance operator
• Owners: Air Tindi Ltd. and Advanced Medical Solutions Inc. in partnership
• Bases: Yellowknife and Inuvik
• Aircraft: King Air 200GT and King Air 250 turboprops
• Accreditation: the site states CAMTS accreditation
• Client: Government of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services