Mr. Karl Smith, FortisAlberta president & chief executive officer with Mr. Jeff Quick, STARS chief financial officer

FortisAlberta announced a five-year pledge of $400,000 in support of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) Human Patient Simulator Program (HPS), on Thursday, October 20. This latest donation will bring the company’s contributions to $1.4 million over a 15 year period to 2016.

“We are truly grateful for FortisAlberta’s very generous financial commitment to the STARS Human Patient Simulator Program (HPS),” says Andrea Robertson, STARS president and chief operating officer. “This new funding will contribute toward the emergency care of critically ill and injured patients in Alberta.”

The STARS Human Patient Simulator Program (HPS) is one of the first mobile medical education programs in North America.  It is the medical equivalent of a flight simulator. The human patient simulator is a complex mannequin that closely simulates the human body and its functions. Housed in a mobile unit, the HPS provides specialized critical care skill training to emergency care providers in their own communities.

“FortisAlberta’s relationship with STARS is such a natural fit for our organization, and we are truly honoured to continue to support their outstanding work. We know that our contribution to the program is critical to ensuring that our employees and the public, especially in rural areas, have access to immediate expert emergency care,” says Karl Smith, president & chief executive officer.

STARS is a charitable non-profit organization that has responded to more than 21,000 emergencies since it began in 1985. STARS provides service 24 hours a day, seven days a week from bases in Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie.

FortisAlberta's Airdrie office in King's Heights

As owner and operator of more than 60 per cent of Alberta’s total electricity distribution network, FortisAlberta’s focus is delivering safe and reliable electricity to almost half a million residential, farm and business customers. The Company serves more than 200 communities with 113,000 kilometres of distribution power lines across Alberta. The company maintains an office in Airdrie in King's Heights.