STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) is welcoming a brand-new Helicopter (H145) to their convoy here in Manitoba.

The aircraft, which will be ready for service by the end of the year, was in Portage Thursday as STARS parades their new piece of equipment across the province.

PortageOnline caught up with a few crew members for their thoughts on the helicopter.

A clinical safety lead with STARS, Alan Marte, touches on why this addition was necessary.

"Everything's got a life span, right?" Myrtie carried on, "So, just like your car, if you're driving a 30-year-old car, you're going to be putting in more money into repairs. It's not going to be as reliable. You know it may be harder to find parts, and that's the same thing with a Helicopter."

Marte says the new helicopter is a little bit faster, bigger and has a little more lift to help with the roughly 700 missions they encounter annually.

"We're very excited to get the new helicopter to continue to help Manitobans in need."

STARS pilot David Harris also spoke about the new piece of equipment,

"It's fantastic to have something that's current generation, and it's going to be an excellent upgrade." Harris continued about the benefits that come with this new aircraft, "As a pilot, it's just amazing to fly. It's smooth. It's way quieter."

Harris noted that it's a pleasure to come to work every day.

"It's not hard to come to work when you're a nonprofit and patient-centric."

It takes a strong team to save lives, and this piece of state-of-the-art equipment will no doubt help the STARS crew continue to serve Manitobans.