STARS operates from bases in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and formerly Halifax (replaced by EHS LifeFlight).STARS was formed in Calgary, Alberta to provide emergency medical care and transport to the critically ill and injured after founder Dr. Gregory Powell, who was working as an emergency room physician at the time, lost a patient: a young mother who died en route to the hospital because of the time it took to transport her by ground from her rural home.Powell had worked as a physician on Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units during the Vietnam War and knew that a helicopter ambulance service could mean the difference between life and death for critical patients who need immediate assistance and are not near a major trauma center.The Foundation created its working arm, Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS), which carried out its first mission on December 1, 1985.[3] Over the years, the STARS fleet has grown from a single helicopter to seven Eurocopter BK117s serving eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.The new helicopters will enhance access to emergency pre-hospital critical care through more rapid response, an expanded service area, a larger medical interior, more powerful lift capacity, and a de-icing system that will enable flight during adverse weather conditions.[5] In 1988 STARS' received formal recognition as an essential service when the organization was integrated into emergency planning for the Calgary Olympic Winter Games.[5] In Alberta and Saskatchewan the STARS ELC acts as an advanced 24-hour communication centre linking emergency services, physicians, hospital personnel and EMS into one call.Funding needs are met through private donations received from individuals, service groups, businesses, corporations and affiliation agreements with provincial governments.[1] The funding arm of STARS, the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation, had an expense total of $56,287,458 during the 2023 fiscal period.