were cost-efficient, and whether the money would not instead be better utilized in other pre-hospital tasks. The project did not receive the support of the Directorate of Health. Stavanger Heliport, Central Hospital opened on 4 June 1981. State funding A government commission looked into the air ambulance organization in 1982. It recommended that the county municipalities take responsibility for the services in the same way the funded and operated the conventional ambulance services. However, the counties were not necessarily a natural border, so it would require inter-county cooperation. The Ministry of Social Affairs concluded that the counties were not large enough to support such a service and therefore proposed a national organization, where the counties paid part of the cost. The national coordination was placed with the National Insurance Service. During Easter NLA assigned special preparedness for mountainous areas. This resulted in a series of "Easter bases" equipped for the week. The first was in Beitostølen in 1982. The following years this base was situated at Rjukan; Dombås; Fagernes Airport, Leirin; and Geilo Airport, Dagali, respectively. A new government commission investigated the issue in 1986. The background was doubling of both costs and use of fixed-wing and rotor-craft air ambulance use between 1982 and 1985. A major contributor was the lack of physicians in Finnmark. The commission recommended that eight bases be established. In addition to Lørenskog and Stavanger, new bases would be established in Tromsø, Brønnøysund, Trondheim, Ålesund, Bergen and Dombås. The plan was carried through and the new bases became operative as of 1988. Funding was secured by the state, while the county municipalities were responsible for the respective medical personnel. The aviation operations were subcontracted to commercial airlines. The new system was named the State's Air Ambulance. Fifteen companies bid to operate the various helicopter contracts. In addition to keeping its operations in Lørenskog and Stavanger, NLA was awarded the contract for Trondheim, Bergen and Dombås. Trondheim was well covered by the 330 Squadron from Ørland Main Air Station, and therefore there been a debate if another helicopter would be cost-efficient. Initial plans called for a base at Trondheim Regional Hospital, but instead Trondheim Heliport, Rosten was placed near Tiller. NLA station a helicopter in Lesja for the National Shooting Competition in 1985. The local communities in northern Gudbrandsdalen therefore started working to receive their own base. The quickly opted for Dombås, as it was the center