Officials with EHS say LifeFlight was available for firefighters hurt battling a fire at Port Hawkesbury Paper.
Two firefighters were sent to Strait Richmond Hospital in Evanston, then to Halifax by ground ambulance as a result of injuries they sustained after a fire broke out in one of the paper mill’s chip silos Thursday night.
In a Facebook post, Alana Paon, the MLA for Cape Breton-Richmond, said there were no air ambulances available to transport them to Halifax.
In an emailed statement, EHS officials tell The Hawk both the LifeFlight helicopter and fixed wing aircraft were considered, but deteriorating weather conditions prevented their use, so they decided ground ambulance was the best course of action.
They say the weather in the Port Hawkesbury area was within acceptable limits; however, the issue was the probability for delays on the return trip to Halifax.
Officials say there was not a high degree of certainty, based on actual and forecasted weather, conditions in Halifax would allow either aircraft a safe return landing on a Halifax helipad or Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
