A high volume of ambulance calls in Penticton on Wednesday morning (March 16) resulted in a 42-minute delayed response to a 15-year-old who suffered a neck injury on the ice at Memorial Arena in Penticton.

BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) received a call at 11:14 a.m. about an incident that took place during a Western Canadian minor hockey tournament in Penticton.

A 15-year old player suffered a serious neck injury on the ice but wasnB次元官网网址檛 responded to by local paramedics for 42 minutes until 11:56 a.m.

B次元官网网址淭here was a higher volume of calls in Penticton (yesterday) morning, with some incidents that required lengthy responses,B次元官网网址� a BCEHS spokesperson wrote to the Western B次元官网网址 in an email.

B次元官网网址淎dditionally, some crews were tied up at hospital emergency departments. We apologize for the wait B次元官网网址� we know it can be stressful waiting for an ambulance.B次元官网网址�

Prior to the arrival of the ambulance, local firefighters arrived on scene just before 11:20 a.m. to provide first aid for the hockey player.

The provincial health service said wait times for ambulances in Penticton on Wednesday were B次元官网网址渓onger than average.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏CEHS responds to the most critically ill and injured patients first, by prioritizing the ambulance response based on a medical priority dispatch system used around the world,B次元官网网址� the email added.

The Canadian Sport School Hockey League Western Championships touched down at PentictonB次元官网网址檚 local arena this week, welcoming 80 teams from as close as Vancouver Island to as far as Manitoba.

Players aged 13 to 18 are taking part.

The injured player was transported to hospital after a 42-minute wait after some ambulance crews were occupied at the hospitalB次元官网网址檚 emergency department.

B次元官网网址淥ur dispatch has a process to upgrade a call to a higher priority response if a patientB次元官网网址檚 condition worsens,B次元官网网址� BCEHS concluded.

logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
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