LOCAL MEDEVAC FLIGHTS ABLE TO CONTINUE DESPITE LARGE SNOWFALL
January 7, 2021, Fairmont Hot Springs, BC – Throughout the year medevac flights fly in and out of the Fairmont Hot Springs public airport (CYCZ) in normally a quite routine fashion. However, after the large snowfall on December 21st the airport’s volunteers were pressed to clear the 6,000 ft runway and ensure safe landing conditions in time for the first of five medical evacuations (medevacs) to take place over the following ten days.
“We are a volunteer run facility, with a focus on continuing to maintain the airport as an essential service to the Columbia Valley”, said Hans Baeggli, VP Columbia Valley Airport Society. “This means that we are on call 365 days a year to ensure the airport is accessible for all landings, especially medical evacuations which are a top priority.”
While experiencing a large snowfall in the Columbia Valley is not unprecedented, the number of medevac flights in and out of the Valley continues to increase year after year. In fact, 2019 saw 24 medevac flights accessing the airport, while 2020 saw 43 flights, an increase of 79% year over year. This increase is due to several factors not the least of which is the preference of the medevac pilots to use the Fairmont airport over other nearby airports. This preference can be attributed to the navigational lights and other navigational equipment found at the airport for which medevac flights during non-daylight hours will choose to use for safety reasons. In addition, non-daylight hours medevac flights from the airport in Golden, BC have also been known to use this airport as their preferred access point.
2020 Medevac Flight Stats by Month
| January | 3 |
| February | 5 |
| March | 3 |
| April | 1 |
| May | 3 |
| June | 4 |
| July | 3 |
| August | 2 |
| September | 6 |
| October | 3 |
| November | 2 |
| December | 8 |
Total medevac flights in 2020 were 43.
ABOUT
The Columbia Valley Airport Society (CVAS) is the volunteer governing body for the Fairmont Hot Springs public airport (CYCZ) in Fairmont Hot Springs, BC. The Society serves to ensure the airport remains operational as an essential service for the Columbia Valley area (Canal Flats to Golden).
The airport opened in 1987, has a 6,000-foot long by 100ft wide paved runway and is open year-round to landings from all aircraft, up to and including Boeing 737s. The public airport offers parking and refueling service and is maned during operating hours by volunteers who are also available on an on-call basis.
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Andrea Tubbs
Secretary, Columbia Valley Airport Society
info [at] columbiavalleyairport.com