By Skies Magazine | November 5, 2012 Estimated reading time 2 minutes, 9 seconds.
Canada’s home base during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin (Torino), Italy, was an authentic log cabin, which served as the country’s pavilion and was dubbed Casa Canada, or Canada House.
The house-sized cabin became one of the more popular pavilions at the Games. Right there, in the middle of a metropolis, people could experience the atmosphere of a mountain cottage.
At the end of the Games, the cabin was donated to the host city with the understanding that it would continue to be enjoyed by the public. In the fall of 2011, Canada House was moved a few kilometres away to Mount Freidour, where it now provides shelter for rock climbers and hikers. Just steps from the new Canada House location, at an elevation of 3,500 feet, is a helipad which is occasionally used by army helicopters and mountain rescuers.
Last May, a health services provider in northwest Italy, 118 Piemonte, held training exercises for 173 of its helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) personnel in the Canada House area, in collaboration with local operator, AirGreen, and its AugustaWestland AW139.
The area’s high altitude and rough terrain created an ideal setting for the training exercises, enabling the simulation of extreme situations. Meant to improve cooperation between the doctors and paramedics from 118 Piemonte and the pilots and winch operators from AirGreen, the exercises included pinnacle landings, hover exiting and single and double-man hoisting, descent and recovery.
118 Piemonte has trained over Canada House for the past two years.
