lift patients into aircraft. The devices never worked. There were also issues with the de-icing system for the AW139s, which never worked. The company also apparently spent on orange painted tractors to move aircraft. Operational issues Various cases of delays in moving patients were revealed. It was found that dispatch operators were under pressure to cut costs by reducing helicopter launches. A policy existed that a helicopter would not be dispatched until a land ambulance had confirmed the need. The policy was changed in 2012 to immediate launch when the 911 centre requests it. It was reported that the helicopter based in Thunder Bay was unable to fly about one quarter of the time due to lack of paramedics. The Star found the helicopter grounded 237 times for a total of 1300 hours over 10 months. “It’s also a waste of public money. You have a helicopter and two pilots sitting there unable to do their jobs,” stated a paramedic union leader. Web of companies Critics charged that Ornge had created a "web" of companies. The auditor general found at least 14(20 by another source) different corporate entities, among them JSmarts, Ornge Peel (later Ornge Global), Ornge Global Real Estate, Ornge Global Holdings LP, Ornge Issuer Trust, Ornge Global Air, Ornge Global Management and Orgeco. Some of these companies were for-profit. The auditor general was denied access to financial records, given some of the entities are privately held. The structure was described as a "complicated network". "In fact, much of Ornge’s operation is being delivered by these other entities, which bill Ornge for those services." Auditor General Jim McCarter described Ornge as a "mini-conglomerate" and believed the audit might not have found all the corporate offshoots. It was found that taxpayer dollars had flowed to for-profit Ornge companies. Some of the companies were owned by Chris Mazza, other executives, and board members. Corporate offices The building for Ornge’s head office was bought for $15 million, using borrowed money. Ornge then created a complex deal with other Ornge companies to sell the building and lease it back to itself. An independent real-estate appraiser estimated that Ornge’s rent was 40% higher than the fair-market rent. This amounted to a $2 million overpayment in five years. This allowed Ornge Global Real Estate to obtain $24 million in financing. The "extra" $9 million flowed to another company, Ornge Global Holdings LP. The OPP was