THE HERALD, Tuesday,.January 24,1978, PAGE? © — |
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Many of us have & tendency to take for granted
the conveniences offered us by a mere phone
cali, In a society where almost everything is at
our fingertips we sometimes forget that human
factor which keeps the machinery of everyday
living in smooth running order. In the first of a

series of articles about this ‘human factor’? and
_ its role in service to our community, the Herald
presents our area’s Ambulance Service.
The whole thing began in 1952 with the
‘donation of an ambulance to the Terrace Fire
Hall by the Kinsmen Club. The service was run
by the town until 1974 when the Province took
over. .
Operated by the Emergency Health Services
Commission, run by the Fire Department. and
manned mainly by volunteers, the ambulance
. Service has grown to include two regulation
vehicles plus a Suburban which can be converted
and used as a back-up ambulance if needed. — .
While the department is responsible for
emergencies anywhere in Zone A - .an area
roughly equivalent to all of northern B.C. -
generally they take care of the region from ~
midway to Prince Rupert, midway to Hazelton, .  ~
midway to Kitimat and north to Nass Camp. 4
- Besides response to emergency calls. the
‘ambulances are used to transport. referred
patients home - this is done on Doctor’s request
. only.’ Each ambulance is equipped for. general —
first aid with a total capacity of five injuried
persons, lying down. Calls are divided into two.
categories - routine removals and life-or-death
situations. ce

The “human factor" enters when someone.
dials 638-1102. The dispatcher gives call-outs to
two attendants informing them of the location
and suspected condition of the victim(s). They

‘atrive at the Fire Hall, pick up the ambulance
and head out to thescene where they treat, and if
necessary, transport the victim(s) to the nearest
medical faciltiy, The main objective behind this
service is fast emergency. treatment and quick
safe transport to a hospital. It all sounds so
simple, doesn’t it?! :

_ The obvious interaction in the chain of events is
the response to and the handling of. the -
emergency call. What is hidden from the casual an ea ee
observer are those special qualities which are ne ee eee

essential in the making of ah ambulance at- oo rs , _ a ,
Present day ambulance fleet ern

tendant (besides an Industrial First Aid ticket:
and a driver’s licence),

aan

is’& unique'trait'ahd a préréquisite for the’ well _ ;
qualified ambulance attendant. ==
Our Ambulance service handled a total of 543
calls in 1977 and logued 6,041 miles on the vehiles.
_ The highest number of emergency calls were
‘due to car accidents with logging accidents
rating in the low numbers. Our thanks and
appreciation to the men who handle the unex-
pected so expertly.

~ Ambulance attendant oo Lights flashing, siren on, |
_ preparing to leave ee ambulance leaves fire hall

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. Attendant. administers oxygen’

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_, Emergency First Aid equipment == Two regulation ambulances outside Terrace Fire Hall... - a
Ee kept in ambulance. _ Oot tga Vtatae - Story and Photos by Leon Prusko and Dawn Forsberg
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