Saskatchewan's Air Ambulance Service, LIFEGUARD, is the oldest non-military air medical transport program in the world. It is a provincial program administered by Saskatchewan Health and based at the Saskatoon airport.

The service is available 24 hours a day under most weather conditions, and can be dispatched to an emergency within 30 minutes.

LIFEGUARD flights are done aboard pressurized Canadian Ministry of Transport (MOT) approved air ambulance planes. Both planes are equipped for critical care transport and feature an MOT-approved loading device to ensure patient safety.

The air medical crew consists of a flight nurse with critical care background and a paramedic. When a speciality team is required, physicians, respiratory therapists, neonatal and pediatric nurses attend the patient en route.

Physicians and/or their designate may call LIFEGUARD 24 hours a day at:

1-888-STAT AIR
(1-888-782-8247)

Medical flight personnel will triage the request and make the necessary air and ground transport arrangements. On arrival, the air medical crew prepares the client for transport and escorts them to the airport by ground ambulance if necessary.

The cost for air ambulance service is $350 per flight. The patient/family is also responsible for ground ambulance costs to and from the airport.

As with road ambulance service, lower-income residents (those receiving Saskatchewan Assistance Plan benefits and nominated by Community Resources and Employment for supplementary health benefits) have the entire cost of an air ambulance trip covered by Saskatchewan Health’s Supplementary Health Benefits program.

For more information, call:
1-306-933-5255

Air medical flights are equipped with monitoring equipment, medical supplies and medications similar to those found in an intensive care unit. This includes:

• Medical air, oxygen and suction
• AC power receptacles
• Transcutaneous pacemaker, defibrillator/monitor
• Pulse oximeter
• Infusion pumps
• Invasive blood pressure monitor
• Noninvasive blood pressure monitor
• Transport incubator
• Transport ventilator
• End tidal CO2 monitor