Some parts of northern Ontario still without Ornge service at night

Lighting has been installed at all remote helipads in northern Ontario, but some emergency responders on the ground say the province's air ambulance service still isn't landing at night.

According to a captain with Britt Fire and Rescue,an Orngehelicopter could have responded last week when a van was struck by a transport truck on Highway 69 south of Sudbury.

Three people were killed in that crash, including an infant and a 13-year-old girl.

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Captain Ken Breadnersaidthe helipad in Britt has been lit and approved for night landings for almost a year, but it is still not being used.He said he doesn't understand why emergency responderswaited for an ambulance instead of using the helicopter to respond to the crash last week.

"Nothing against the emergency crews out of the ambulances, they're well trained, but the air crew has that much more equipment and a little more expertise," he said.

The President and CEO of Orngesaid land ambulance is always the first responder to an emergency, and often the best.

"It's in fact not faster in a lot of incidences to take the helicopter versus the land service," said Dr. Andrew McCallum.

McCallum saidhe doesn't think the helicopter could have responded any faster than the land ambulance to last week's fatal collision.

The changes to night landings were put in place after the midnight crash of an Orngehelicopter near Moosonee almost two years ago that killed four crew members.

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As a result, Ornge ordered more training for pilots, especially for night landings. Theagency alsobanned all night landings at unlit helipads.

An Orngespokesperson says in order to land at lit helipads, someconditions must be met.The pilots asked to respond must perform a weather check to determine conditions are safe to fly. This includes the site, and where the aircraft will be dispatching from.

And at least one of the two pilots need to have landed at the helipad once in the previous six months, to maintainrecent familiarity with the site, including things such asobstacles, topography andpotential hazards.