An Ashcroft resident living within sight of the town含羞草研究社檚 ambulance station has died, after an ambulance took nearly half-an-hour to reach him.
It is the second time in less than a month that an Ashcroft resident in severe medical distress has had to wait nearly 30 minutes for an ambulance, despite the community having a 24/7 Alpha ambulance station. Both residents lived within half-a-block of the station.
Ashcroft Fire Rescue received a call from Kamloops Fire Dispatch at 8:42 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14, advising that a man had suffered an apparent heart attack and that the nearest ambulance was in Clinton and would take 35 minutes to arrive.
Fire Chief Josh White took the call, and advised that the fire department is a volunteer one, and members are not trained as medical first responders. However, as he has a Level 1 First Aid ticket he said that he would attend.
After grabbing the automated external defibrillator (AED) and gloves from the fire hall, he arrived on site at 8:58 a.m., closely followed by three other firefighters who arrived in personal vehicles.
含羞草研究社淭he AED indicated no pulse, and never called for a shock,含羞草研究社� says White. 含羞草研究社淗owever, it was evident he had only recently gone down when we arrived, and I couldn含羞草研究社檛 say if he was dead or alive at that point.含羞草研究社�
A neighbour produced security cam footage which showed the man walking his dog in an alleyway off Elm Street, directly across from the ambulance station. The footage shows the man collapsing at 8:21 a.m.
White says that firefighters and a neighbour performed CPR until the ambulance arrived at 9:11 a.m. 含羞草研究社淎mbulance paramedics got their equipment going and did all they could do, but after a little while they called it.含羞草研究社�
White attended the scene on July 17, when an Ashcroft resident who had gone into cardiac arrest had to wait for an ambulance to arrive. That incident happened less than 200 metres from where the Aug. 14 incident took place.
含羞草研究社淲e were half-a-block from the ambulance station,含羞草研究社� says White. 含羞草研究社淲e could see it from where we were.
含羞草研究社漇omething含羞草研究社檚 not right. That含羞草研究社檚 another person we含羞草研究社檝e lost in our community.含羞草研究社�
White says he gets angry when Ashcroft Fire Rescue gets these calls.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not what we typically do, but as Good Samaritans we have that conscience where we have to go.
含羞草研究社淚t tears me in half. I can含羞草研究社檛 keep making this decision time and time and time again. I含羞草研究社檓 always going to go 含羞草研究社� I have that first aid ticket 含羞草研究社� but I don含羞草研究社檛 want to be that person, because it puts me in a really bad place. I got that ticket to look after co-workers, not the whole community.
含羞草研究社淚f I know something is happening in town I含羞草研究社檓 obligated to go, and it含羞草研究社檚 tough mentally, because I含羞草研究社檓 going to people I know or people I see in the community.含羞草研究社�
Following other recent instances in B.C. where people in medical distress have faced long ambulance waits 含羞草研究社� including an incident in Surrey on Aug. 4 where a man died of self-inflicted knife wounds while waiting half-an-hour for an ambulance 含羞草研究社� there have been calls for more firefighters, both volunteer and career, to be trained as medical first responders. White says this is not the answer.
含羞草研究社淭his isn含羞草研究社檛 in our scope of operations. We can含羞草研究社檛 budget for the training and equipment needed to fill this gap that BC Ambulance seems to be leaving us with. I don含羞草研究社檛 fault or blame our local ambulance paramedics, but if we ran our fire halls like this people would be really upset.含羞草研究社�
He adds that it is not just a question of the necessary money and the training, especially for volunteer firefighters.
含羞草研究社淎 lot of people who come into our fire hall didn含羞草研究社檛 sign up to be paramedics or even medical first responders. If they wanted that they含羞草研究社檇 be paramedics. They wanted to be firefighters and deal with structure fires.
含羞草研究社淪ome knew they wanted to do highway rescue, but it含羞草研究社檚 not mandatory, because it含羞草研究社檚 not for everyone. Those are high impact instances where you含羞草研究社檙e seeing pretty traumatic stuff, and it takes a toll over time.含羞草研究社�
He adds that with 98 per cent of the highway rescue calls Ashcroft Fire Rescue responds to, they don含羞草研究社檛 know the victims.
含羞草研究社淚f we含羞草研究社檙e being medical first responders in our own community, not everyone will want to do that, as it will take a mental toll. These are people we truly know. We含羞草研究社檒l always be there to help these people out, but from the medical end of it I could be called to my mom含羞草研究社檚 house or a co-worker含羞草研究社檚 house, and this isn含羞草研究社檛 something I could deal with day in and day out.
含羞草研究社淢entally, it will fatigue us to a whole new level. When it含羞草研究社檚 people we know it hurts even more. It含羞草研究社檚 a huge mental weight.含羞草研究社�
White also believes that having fire departments go the medical first responder route is an 含羞草研究社渆asy way out含羞草研究社� for BC Emergency Health Services.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a cheap fix for them. 含羞草研究社極h, firefighters can bandage up that arm and we don含羞草研究社檛 have to send a truck.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
White adds that in his more than 20 years on Ashcroft Fire Rescue he has never seen a situation like this.
含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 know what to do at this point. We didn含羞草研究社檛 join up to do this. We含羞草研究社檒l always back up our brothers and sisters in the ambulance service, but for most of us it falls outside our scope. The call volume will go up and up, and we含羞草研究社檒l be asking more and more of our volunteers.含羞草研究社�
White says that as fire chief he wants to be there to help the community, but putting additional pressure on fire departments is not the answer or the solution.
含羞草研究社淲e have ambulances here in B.C. for a reason. If we含羞草研究社檙e going to look to volunteer and career fire departments to do this, why do we have ambulances?
含羞草研究社淢edical first response is not in our purview. We含羞草研究社檒l keep going to assist on these calls until BC Ambulance gets its shit straight, but it will take its toll on us.含羞草研究社�
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on and follow us on
