Skies Wide Open How chiropractic can impact aviation A Dr. Emily Roback, president of Chi- roback Trekker, provides chiropractic, sports therapy and injury prevention seminars for search-and-rescue teams in Alberta. Dr. Roback can be contacted at [email protected] and/or 403-886-2044. ir-rescue pilots, who travel in and out of Alberta’s wide-open skies, want to know whether the actions performed by personnel in emergency planes and he- licopters, while attempting to rescue individuals after a typical storm in central Alberta, are worth the risks involved. The summer of 2008’s back-to-back hailstorms stunned the tightly knit aviation com- munity, and raised some tough questions related to whether or not current air-emergency programs were safe. Was the implementation of these programs justified when they risked the lives of aviators? Flying alongside a storm, and spraying silver iodine to promote hail suppression, fog clearing and snow pack augmentation, was a dangerous operation per- formed by Weather Modifications, Inc. (Red Deer) and other storm chasers. “The trouble is our aviators only work in Central Alberta from July to September,” says Ben Hiebert, a pilot with Weather Modifications Inc. Hiebert goes on to report there is evidence that what they do saves lives, although a cost-benefit analysis is another matter, particularly when one considers being an employee is seasonal employment.1 It is imperative that all aviators take the initiative to reach their own optimal health. Furthermore Hiebert states, “I can’t say what we do reduces morbidity and mortality for other aviators, but I can’t say we don’t, either.” This may lead us to ask, what have we done for ourselves to promote a safer, healthier and more active lifestyle? Though riding in a rescue plane or helicopter has its risks, the Canadian Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) in Red Deer, Alberta, has made significant strides since the mid-1980s in maintaining numerous hard-edged standards that enforce stricter health and safety procedures for its pilots, navigators, and spotters. 14 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | FEBRUARY 2009 www.canadianchiropractor.ca Emily Roback, BSc, DC feature
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