An Ashcroft resident living within sight of the town香蕉视频直播檚 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.

香蕉视频直播淭he AED indicated no pulse, and never called for a shock,香蕉视频直播� says White. 香蕉视频直播淗owever, it was evident he had only recently gone down when we arrived, and I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 say if he was dead or alive at that point.香蕉视频直播�

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. 香蕉视频直播淎mbulance paramedics got their equipment going and did all they could do, but after a little while they called it.香蕉视频直播�

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.

香蕉视频直播淲e were half-a-block from the ambulance station,香蕉视频直播� says White. 香蕉视频直播淲e could see it from where we were.

香蕉视频直播漇omething香蕉视频直播檚 not right. That香蕉视频直播檚 another person we香蕉视频直播檝e lost in our community.香蕉视频直播�

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

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not what we typically do, but as Good Samaritans we have that conscience where we have to go.

香蕉视频直播淚t tears me in half. I can香蕉视频直播檛 keep making this decision time and time and time again. I香蕉视频直播檓 always going to go 香蕉视频直播� I have that first aid ticket 香蕉视频直播� but I don香蕉视频直播檛 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.

香蕉视频直播淚f I know something is happening in town I香蕉视频直播檓 obligated to go, and it香蕉视频直播檚 tough mentally, because I香蕉视频直播檓 going to people I know or people I see in the community.香蕉视频直播�

Following other recent instances in B.C. where people in medical distress have faced long ambulance waits 香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播� 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.

香蕉视频直播淭his isn香蕉视频直播檛 in our scope of operations. We can香蕉视频直播檛 budget for the training and equipment needed to fill this gap that BC Ambulance seems to be leaving us with. I don香蕉视频直播檛 fault or blame our local ambulance paramedics, but if we ran our fire halls like this people would be really upset.香蕉视频直播�

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

香蕉视频直播淎 lot of people who come into our fire hall didn香蕉视频直播檛 sign up to be paramedics or even medical first responders. If they wanted that they香蕉视频直播檇 be paramedics. They wanted to be firefighters and deal with structure fires.

香蕉视频直播淪ome knew they wanted to do highway rescue, but it香蕉视频直播檚 not mandatory, because it香蕉视频直播檚 not for everyone. Those are high impact instances where you香蕉视频直播檙e seeing pretty traumatic stuff, and it takes a toll over time.香蕉视频直播�

He adds that with 98 per cent of the highway rescue calls Ashcroft Fire Rescue responds to, they don香蕉视频直播檛 know the victims.

香蕉视频直播淚f we香蕉视频直播檙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香蕉视频直播檒l always be there to help these people out, but from the medical end of it I could be called to my mom香蕉视频直播檚 house or a co-worker香蕉视频直播檚 house, and this isn香蕉视频直播檛 something I could deal with day in and day out.

香蕉视频直播淢entally, it will fatigue us to a whole new level. When it香蕉视频直播檚 people we know it hurts even more. It香蕉视频直播檚 a huge mental weight.香蕉视频直播�

White also believes that having fire departments go the medical first responder route is an 香蕉视频直播渆asy way out香蕉视频直播� for BC Emergency Health Services.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a cheap fix for them. 香蕉视频直播極h, firefighters can bandage up that arm and we don香蕉视频直播檛 have to send a truck.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

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

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 know what to do at this point. We didn香蕉视频直播檛 join up to do this. We香蕉视频直播檒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香蕉视频直播檒l be asking more and more of our volunteers.香蕉视频直播�

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.

香蕉视频直播淲e have ambulances here in B.C. for a reason. If we香蕉视频直播檙e going to look to volunteer and career fire departments to do this, why do we have ambulances?

香蕉视频直播淢edical first response is not in our purview. We香蕉视频直播檒l keep going to assist on these calls until BC Ambulance gets its shit straight, but it will take its toll on us.香蕉视频直播�

editorial@accjournal.ca
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