It was time for an upgrade, and thanks to funding from the federal government, STARS air ambulance is set for a makeover.

The federal government has announced 65-million dollars to allow the air ambulance service in Western Canada to buy five new helicopters.

“What that allows us to do is buy an equivalent of five aircraft so it’s a really important cash infusion to allow us to replace our ageing helicopters.”

A few of the choppers that fly over the Prairie Provinces will be swapped out, which Mike Lamacchia, VP of operations for the west explains will help save lives by boosting the availability of the service and improve its flexibility to respond to emergencies.

“We ensure we have one aircraft in Grande Prairie, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary, that’s three so we only need three to maintain 24/7 operations.”

Currently, they have two types of aircraft that make up the 11 units and Lamacchia says the older style, called the BK 1-1-7 was in need of a replacement.

“We’ll have two additional aircraft in Alberta to maintain serviceability because aircraft do have to undergo maintenance and those two aircraft will support that.”

After a comprehensive reviewing process, they have decided to stick with a unified style called the Airbus H-1-45.

Lamacchia says this upgrade will help STARS in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and parts of B-C provide better quality services.