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Ornge returns Sikorsky helicopters to service

Ornge, Ontario's provider of air ambulance and related services, is returning its Sikorsky S76 helicopters to service following the death of four helicopter crew members along the James Bay Coast on May 31.
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Ornge, Ontario's provider of air ambulance and related services, is returning its Sikorsky S76 helicopters to service following the death of four helicopter crew members along the James Bay Coast on May 31. Photo by William Fretwell.
Ornge, Ontario's provider of air ambulance and related services, is returning its Sikorsky S76 helicopters to service following the death of four helicopter crew members along the James Bay Coast on May 31.

A helicopter crashed shortly after midnight on May 31, killing Skead resident and pilot Capt. Don Filliter and Moose Factory resident and primary care flight paramedic Dustin Dagenais.

Filliter was the husband of a Health Sciences North employee and father of three.

Dagenais was the nephew of a Registered Practical Nurse who works in one of HSN's nephrology satellite clinics.

Also killed in the crash was first officer Jacques Dupuy, of Otterburn-Park, Que., and primary care flight paramedic Chris Snowball, of Burlington.

After the crash, Ornge voluntarily and temporarily took its five Sikorsky S76 helicopters offline out of an abundance of caution following a fatal accident involving an Ornge air ambulance helicopter in Moosonee.

Ornge fixed wing aircraft, standing agreement carriers and local EMS services continued to be available to perform patient transports in this region.

While the accident remains under investigation, preliminary information communicated to Ornge by the Transportation Safety Board did not raise concerns regarding the S76 fleet, and Ornge officials are confident they are safe to return to service, according to a news release.

The S76 is flown out of bases in Thunder Bay and Kenora. Contingency plans to restore helicopter service in Moosonee are being developed.

Further information will be communicated as it becomes available.

Fixed wing aircraft will continue to be used for patient transport through the James Bay region during this time.

Ornge staff across the province continue to mourn the loss of the four members of the Ornge crew who died in the crash

“We wish to express our thanks for the overwhelming outpouring of support we have received from the Ontario public as well as EMS, health-care and aviation services across Canada and around the world,” said Dr. Andrew McCallum, president and CEO of Ornge. "The entire organization remains steadfast in its dedication and commitment to the patients of Ontario during this difficult time.”

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