{"title":"Royal Canadian Air Force Doctrine Applied to Saskatchewan Medevac: Examining the Use of a Centralized Command","authors":"Mark W. Biernacki CD, MD, MASc, BEng","doi":"10.1016/j.amj.2026.03.049","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saskatchewan relies extensively on air transport to deliver acute care to remote regions. This article applied Royal Canadian Air Force air power doctrine to evaluate and optimize the province’s civilian medevac system.</div><div>Doctrinal analysis was used to assess existing medevac coordination structures. Operational modeling, including an optimized combined air operations model, was developed to compare the efficiency of fixed- and rotary-wing transport across representative provincial locations. Data were analyzed for time to tertiary care.</div><div>The application of air power principles, including centralized control, decentralized execution, and a common operating picture, identified significant opportunities to enhance responsiveness and increase efficiency. Modeling showed that the correct selection of transport modality improves efficiency by up to 42%, with fixed-wing aircraft favored beyond approximately 150 miles from Saskatoon.</div><div>The analysis demonstrates that Saskatchewan’s current air medical system could achieve improved safety, timeliness, and efficiency through a centralized command structure. Establishing a provincial medevac operations center would enable real-time tasking, integrated situational awareness through a common operating picture, and better alignment of air assets with clinical needs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35737,"journal":{"name":"Air Medical Journal","volume":"45 4","pages":"Pages 402-408"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Air Medical Journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1067991X26001197","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/4/8 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Nursing","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Saskatchewan relies extensively on air transport to deliver acute care to remote regions. This article applied Royal Canadian Air Force air power doctrine to evaluate and optimize the province’s civilian medevac system.
Doctrinal analysis was used to assess existing medevac coordination structures. Operational modeling, including an optimized combined air operations model, was developed to compare the efficiency of fixed- and rotary-wing transport across representative provincial locations. Data were analyzed for time to tertiary care.
The application of air power principles, including centralized control, decentralized execution, and a common operating picture, identified significant opportunities to enhance responsiveness and increase efficiency. Modeling showed that the correct selection of transport modality improves efficiency by up to 42%, with fixed-wing aircraft favored beyond approximately 150 miles from Saskatoon.
The analysis demonstrates that Saskatchewan’s current air medical system could achieve improved safety, timeliness, and efficiency through a centralized command structure. Establishing a provincial medevac operations center would enable real-time tasking, integrated situational awareness through a common operating picture, and better alignment of air assets with clinical needs.
期刊介绍:
Air Medical Journal is the official journal of the five leading air medical transport associations in the United States. AMJ is the premier provider of information for the medical transport industry, addressing the unique concerns of medical transport physicians, nurses, pilots, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, communication specialists, and program administrators. The journal contains practical how-to articles, debates on controversial industry issues, legislative updates, case studies, and peer-reviewed original research articles covering all aspects of the medical transport profession.