Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society (TEAAM) gave a presentation for a dozen onlookers in a VIH Helicopters building near the Campbell River airport on Thursday afternoon (Nov. 4)

The non-profit, medically-directed rescue service, which currently flies out of bases in Squamish, Prince George and Fort St. John is weeks away from getting its Campbell River operation off the ground.

President Miles Randell said the remote areas surrounding the city have been on the societyB次元官网网址檚 radar as having a gap in pre-hospital coverage.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got staff here that have identified the massive need,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd the Truck Loggers Association has reached out to us and shown us that they need us here as well.

B次元官网网址淭he remote settings and communities of the North Island are really hard to reach with advanced life support and critical care medical care, and so weB次元官网网址檙e able to bring that, and weB次元官网网址檙e the only program in Canada that does the work that we do.B次元官网网址�

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Randell, who looks like a retired NFL running back that could easily plays a few more downs, decided to start the company with current vice president, Jordan Lawrence, shortly after the failed rescue of a Search and Rescue leader of theirs who suffered a heart attack in the back country in 2014.

Both have extensive SAR experience in the North Shore and Squamish areas.

The organization they created is capable of providing advanced life support, critical care, and medicine, as well as rescue people from hard to reach places.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the first of its kind in Canada,B次元官网网址� Randell said, B次元官网网址淏ut wB次元官网网址檙e literally 50 years behind Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not for profit, itB次元官网网址檚 100 per cent focused on patient care,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淲e just need to get to those patients that are suffering or dying that arenB次元官网网址檛 getting the pre-hospital care they need.B次元官网网址�

Shortly after starting the program, BC Forest Safety Ombudsman Roger Harris released a report showing the forestry sector needed such a service, Randell remembered.

B次元官网网址淲hen we read the report, we said, B次元官网网址楾hatB次元官网网址檚 us!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Lawrence piped in.

Companies within the forestry industry which send their employees to the hard to access areas of the province is where TEAAM have focused the majority of their efforts.

Randell told of an incident in which the service was able to help a man who broke his spine in a cut block north of Harrison Lake.

B次元官网网址淲e were able to get him treated immediately on scene,B次元官网网址� he said. The forestry workerB次元官网网址檚 spine was protected with a vacuum spine board, and he was given medications to keep his blood pressure stabilized before being delivered to Vancouver General Hospital.

The rescue took an hour and 40 minutes, as opposed to the nearly 14 hours it might have taken to drive the patient out.

As a result, the man is now able to use his legs.

B次元官网网址淭o have him be able to walk out of the hospital, thatB次元官网网址檚 the most gratifying thing we could imagine,B次元官网网址� Randell said.

From the Campbell River base, the service will be able to cover Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and up to Bella Coola.

B次元官网网址淲e can be wherever the need is,B次元官网网址� Randell said.

The local base will be managed by Dave Hutton, a paramedic, firefighter and ski-patroller.

B次元官网网址淭his is near and dear to my heart ,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 have a lot of friends who are loggers, and IB次元官网网址檝e picked a lot of these people up as a paramedic, doing these medi-vacs where my hands are tied, and I canB次元官网网址檛 do certain things, and so this is pretty exciting to see this program put in place in Campbell River.B次元官网网址�

A host of primary care paramedics, advanced life support paramedics, critical care paramedics, emergency services nurses, emergency physicians, and even auto extrication technicians were also onsite doing some training in preparation for the base opening.

B次元官网网址淲e bring the emergency department to the accident scene,B次元官网网址� Randell said.

ronan.odoherty@campbellrivermirror.com
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