Ontario Construction News staff writer
Air ambulances will be landing on a new rooftop helipad at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre later this month, improving access to Canada’s largest trauma and burn centres.
The new $13.5 million helipad means patients will get to care quickly via two elevators that enable access to areas such as the trauma centre, critical care, operating suites, high-risk birthing and premature newborn critical care. Until now, air ambulances landed on a ground helipad about 500 metres from the Emergency department and patients were transported the final distance by land ambulance.
“Critically ill and severely injured patients — who arrive from all over Ontario — will gain valuable minutes in getting to the life-saving care they need,” Dr. Andy Smith, president and CEO at Sunnybrook, said at the ribbon cutting.
It is estimated that the new structure will save up to 15 minutes in patient transfer time.
About 15 per cent of Sunnybrook’s 2,000 annual trauma cases arrive by helicopter. On average, the hospital receives about 250 air ambulances per year.
The helipad’s platform measures nearly 23 by 23 metres, making it Canada’s second-largest helipad based on dimensions. Helicopters up to 35,000 pounds (about 16,000 kg) takeoff weight can land.
The project was funded almost entirely by donors, primarily the Gelato Cup Golf Tournament and The Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation. Construction started on the roof of MWing at Sunnybrook’s Bayview Campus in July 2018.
It is the largest helipad of its type in the country, both in terms of aluminum construction and the size of helicopter it can accommodate. Because it’s the strongest (it can handle larger helicopters), it is the most capable rooftop helipad in Canada.
It will link to an elevator core via a covered tunnel to protect patient and paramedics from the weather.
The helipad has snow and moisture sensors to activate heating system. The helipad and the walkway remain free of ice and snow in the winter with heated glycol lines under the pad. It is made of prefabricated aluminum beams supported by the steel structure.
The aluminum deck slopes in one direction and has extruded grooves to direct any fuel spill to fuel separators located under the pad. There are 32 green perimeter lights and eight flood lights located on perimeter of the helipad and two oscillating fire suppression nozzles to spray foam in case of emergency.
There’s a five-foot safety net on all sides and a closed-circuit camera system will allow hospital security to monitor the pad and M-Wing roof continuously.