An Ashcroft resident living within sight of the townB次元官网网址檚 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.

B次元官网网址淭he AED indicated no pulse, and never called for a shock,B次元官网网址� says White. B次元官网网址淗owever, it was evident he had only recently gone down when we arrived, and I couldnB次元官网网址檛 say if he was dead or alive at that point.B次元官网网址�

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. B次元官网网址淎mbulance paramedics got their equipment going and did all they could do, but after a little while they called it.B次元官网网址�

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.

B次元官网网址淲e were half-a-block from the ambulance station,B次元官网网址� says White. B次元官网网址淲e could see it from where we were.

B次元官网网址漇omethingB次元官网网址檚 not right. ThatB次元官网网址檚 another person weB次元官网网址檝e lost in our community.B次元官网网址�

White says he gets angry when Ashcroft Fire Rescue gets these calls.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not what we typically do, but as Good Samaritans we have that conscience where we have to go.

B次元官网网址淚t tears me in half. I canB次元官网网址檛 keep making this decision time and time and time again. IB次元官网网址檓 always going to go B次元官网网址� I have that first aid ticket B次元官网网址� but I donB次元官网网址檛 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.

B次元官网网址淚f I know something is happening in town IB次元官网网址檓 obligated to go, and itB次元官网网址檚 tough mentally, because IB次元官网网址檓 going to people I know or people I see in the community.B次元官网网址�

Following other recent instances in B.C. where people in medical distress have faced long ambulance waits B次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址淭his isnB次元官网网址檛 in our scope of operations. We canB次元官网网址檛 budget for the training and equipment needed to fill this gap that BC Ambulance seems to be leaving us with. I donB次元官网网址檛 fault or blame our local ambulance paramedics, but if we ran our fire halls like this people would be really upset.B次元官网网址�

He adds that it is not just a question of the necessary money and the training, especially for volunteer firefighters.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of people who come into our fire hall didnB次元官网网址檛 sign up to be paramedics or even medical first responders. If they wanted that theyB次元官网网址檇 be paramedics. They wanted to be firefighters and deal with structure fires.

B次元官网网址淪ome knew they wanted to do highway rescue, but itB次元官网网址檚 not mandatory, because itB次元官网网址檚 not for everyone. Those are high impact instances where youB次元官网网址檙e seeing pretty traumatic stuff, and it takes a toll over time.B次元官网网址�

He adds that with 98 per cent of the highway rescue calls Ashcroft Fire Rescue responds to, they donB次元官网网址檛 know the victims.

B次元官网网址淚f weB次元官网网址檙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. WeB次元官网网址檒l always be there to help these people out, but from the medical end of it I could be called to my momB次元官网网址檚 house or a co-workerB次元官网网址檚 house, and this isnB次元官网网址檛 something I could deal with day in and day out.

B次元官网网址淢entally, it will fatigue us to a whole new level. When itB次元官网网址檚 people we know it hurts even more. ItB次元官网网址檚 a huge mental weight.B次元官网网址�

White also believes that having fire departments go the medical first responder route is an B次元官网网址渆asy way outB次元官网网址� for BC Emergency Health Services.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a cheap fix for them. B次元官网网址極h, firefighters can bandage up that arm and we donB次元官网网址檛 have to send a truck.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

White adds that in his more than 20 years on Ashcroft Fire Rescue he has never seen a situation like this.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know what to do at this point. We didnB次元官网网址檛 join up to do this. WeB次元官网网址檒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 weB次元官网网址檒l be asking more and more of our volunteers.B次元官网网址�

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.

B次元官网网址淲e have ambulances here in B.C. for a reason. If weB次元官网网址檙e going to look to volunteer and career fire departments to do this, why do we have ambulances?

B次元官网网址淢edical first response is not in our purview. WeB次元官网网址檒l keep going to assist on these calls until BC Ambulance gets its shit straight, but it will take its toll on us.B次元官网网址�

editorial@accjournal.ca
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