It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's an ambulance.

AirMédic, the non-profit group that aims to provide air ambulance service in Quebec, yesterday unveiled an equipped helicopter dedicated to serving the Montreal area, along with a new home for the chopper and its staff in Mirabel.

"Montreal has finally joined the ranks of all other major cities in North America to have a helicopter ambulance service," declared Jean Lambert, AirMédic's vice-president of public affairs.

Until now, AirMédic had a base at St. Hubert airport, but was flying rented aircraft, leading to longer response times.

"It didn't always allow us to have all the equipment we need or a wide range of possibilities that one encounters when doing one of these operations," Lambert said.

The new home in Mirabel provides the Dauphin AS365 helicopter, furnished with medical equipment and medicines - "Everything we need for air medivac services," Lambert said - with a hangar, as well as sleeping quarters and a kitchen for the staff, who stay on standby around the clock.

"This allows us to take off much more quickly," Lambert said. "Within 10 or 12 minutes, we can be airborne with the proper staff and the proper equipment we need to respond."

The helicopter, which features two 800-horsepower engines, can carry two stretchers, a medical staff of four, and two pilots.

Apart from transporting patients in Quebec, AirMédic ferries organs, people needing transplants, and medical teams who need to travel urgently.

The organization, which is supported financially by 104,000 member donors, along with sponsors and benefactors, was founded in Chicoutimi in 2000 and has its headquarters there.

It also has operational bases in Quebec City and Trois Rivières. Only the Chicoutimi and Mirabel bases have their own aircraft.

shashmi@thegazette.canwest.com