cand

NEW LGH COPTER PAD
INFURIATES RESIDENTS

CONTRARY TO its staff recommendation, North Van-
couver City Council unanimously approved a request Mon-
day to upgrade the helicopter landing facility, used in
emergencies by Lions Gate Hospital.

But immediately following the
decision, residents neighboring the
site at Ninth Street and Grand
Boulevard descended on the hospi-
tal delegation to denounce the
planned improvements.

“We don’t want them putting
any installations, and | mean any
installations, on the boulevard,
because once they get their foot in,
it will be 10 years before they
change,*’ said Norman Scott who
lives across from the landing site.

“We're talking about
human lives here. That
(up to $3,500 per year)
is not that expensive for
a human life.’’

—Dr. Robert Friis

As a result of council’s decision,
a portion of Grand Boulevard
parkway will be designated to the
regular landing area and city staff
will be directed to work with the
relevant agencies to improve the
site.

improvements will most likely
include the installment of casings
for 11 removable lights needed for
night landings, and the construc-
tion of a removable fence to keep
children away from the helicopter
once it has landed.

Council does not have the
authority to prevent the landings,
which are permitted under federal
legislation in life threatening situa-
tions, but it can improve safety by
upgrading the area.

Dr. Robert Friis, a trauma
committee member at Lions Gate
Hospital, said the decision would
not increase the number of land-
ings on the boulevard, it would
simply improve the safety of the
emergency landings from the point

By KAREN GRAM
Contributing 'Writer

of view of the patient and the peo-
pie on the ground.

“We're not looking for a per-
manent site. We're looking for a
formalized temporary site to im-
prove safety.”

Friis said with a designated site,
accident victims could be transpor-
ted to hospital faster because pilots
would know exactly where to land
and ground crews would need less
coordination to prepare for the
landing.

“Time is of the essence. Ten
minutes here, 10 minutes there and
10 minutes somewhere else adds up
and these extra 10 minutes increase
the patient’s chance of death.”’

Friis also questioned city ad-
ministrator Gerry Brewer’s rec-
ommendation to reject the im-
provements because of the cost of
litigation insurance.

“We're talking about human
lives here. That (up to $3,500 per
year) is not that expensive for a
human life.’’

Friis said later the decision gives
him hope council is willing to
upgrade the site, but he said he
had been waiting four months for
the issue to come up in council.

“We were angry when Cannell
(Studios) got through so fast. We
asked for this back in August, and
we had to push for it to be
discussed now because we were
warried about winter accidents at
Whistler.”

A high percentage of the
emergencies dealt with by
helicopter to hospital transporta-
tion are ski injuries or car acci-
dents on the Squamish Highway.

Cannell Studios recently received
council approval for an accessory
helicopter landing facility on its
property (formerly Park and
Tilford Jands).

Weather:

Wednesday, claudy with
sunny perious.. Highs near (Classified Ads....46
8°C. Thursday, cloudy Comics ......... 35
with peziods of rain. Cr.

Auto........... 44
Business ........ 42

I THE FIRST snow of the season ‘fell Sunday night on ski areas:at: Cypress,

Lifestyles........

Sports.......... 13
TV Listings...... 48
What's Going On. 41

‘Grouse: 6

Seymour, Blackcomb, and Whistler, with 35 cm of snow being recorded at Cypress’ §

‘peak near the newly installed Sky Chair. Looking forward to a great ski seas

Brian Jeffery, above, of the Hollyburn Ridge Cross Country Ski Centre.

on is