STARS releases five-year data for Ponoka County

PONOKA COUNTY -- STARS Air Ambulance Service has released its local mission data for the last five years.

According to the data, there were a total of 132 rescue/transfer missions conducted in Ponoka County from 2021 to last year. 25 of these missions were conducted in the Ponoka area, while 41 occurred in the way of inter-facility transports to the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre. There have been 26 IFT's completed at the Rimbey Hospital since 2021, while rescue missions conducted in the Rimbey area totaled 17. 

From 2021 through 2025, there were 12 missions completed in the Maskwacis area, two near Winfield, two near Westerose, and one near the Summer Village of Parkland Beach. For Maskwacis, six of these missions occurred last year alone, marking the highest annual total across the region for 2025. In the last five years, 2022 saw the highest number of STARS missions completed across the County at 41, while 2024 marked the five-year low at just 15 missions.

STARS says that 21 per cent of their total rescue operations are in response to cardiac incidents, while 19 per cent are for vehicular collisions. Donations, fundraising, and lotteries are needed to cover 59 per cent of the non-profit's direct operational costs in Alberta, while $15 million is contributed by the provincial government. The organization has operated since 1985 and conducts its work across both Alberta and British Columbia.