The R.M. of Dufferin and Town of Carman are considering building a helipad at Carman Memorial Hospital. STARS Air Ambulance has approached the municipalities about the possibility.

Dufferin Reeve, George Gray, said the landing pad would cut down on patient transfer times. He explained that because of regulations, STARS currently has to land at the local airport where it is met by an ambulance delivering the patient.

"It slows the pick-up time by probably twenty minutes, so we'd like to get some uniformity back so they can pick-up right at the hospital," added Gray.

Carman Mayor, Bob Mitchell, agreed and said the consensus among the two councils is that this has got to be done.

"You can't afford to take an extra half-hour when there's an emergency. Granted you maybe don't have that many in a year but how many does it take?"

Mitchell added that STARS submitted three design options ranging in price from $85,000 to $120,000. He said both councils feel the helipad could be built for a lot less using municipal crews and equipment.

Officials now have to decide how to move forward on the project.