A drive of an hour or two might not seem like a very long time in normal circumstances. When your life is on the line, however, a drive of two hours can seem very long indeed. 

That's a reality first responders in the Redvers area live with as they do their jobs in a community that's a long drive away from the nearest hospital. It's also why they recognize the importance of Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) air ambulance and why they help support it during the Critical Care On The Air Radiothon For STARS.

"Dealing with STARS is great," said Redvers Fire Chief Brad Hutton. "We've landed numerous times in Redvers here. The biggest issue with coming to Redvers is obviously they can make it here, but they can't quite make it back without getting fueled up. So we have a fueling station."

STARS opened their operations in Saskatchewan with offices in Regina and Saskatoon in 2012. Last year they flew 884 missions in Saskatchewan, including 19 in the Estevan area. 

"Rural Saskatchewan, we're two and a half hours from Regina, a good hour and a half from Estevan," said Hutton. "So to get critical care, you're looking at, road ambulance probably an hour minimum, up to two hours. The saying is 'golden hour' so with STARS being an option, they can be out here in 45 minutes. They can land on-scene where we are if need be."

The money being raised by the radiothon will go toward replacing a fleet of aging helicopters with nine new Airbus H145 helicopters. Each of STARS's bases costs around $10.5 million to run annually. 

"They operate mostly on donation throughout Saskatchewan," said Hutton. "Our department, we try to fundraise, we do small donations here and there, we support the lotteries and buy calendars from them to sponsor them as well. With the fueling, we are supporting them as well to make sure they're able to make their destinations."

The radiothon will end tomorrow. You can tune in to CJ1150 to learn more about STARS and how you can donate.