The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - A3

>

_Increased demand makes

~ ambulance work a 24- 7 job

. By MARGARET SPEIRS
TERRACE. AMBULANCE crews
began providing the city with 24- |
hour ambulance service on Mar. 1.

Two paramedics will work out of |
the station with an ambulance ready °
to go if a call comes in.

The overnight shift works from 6

“p.m. to 7 a.m., a 13-hr shift for the

full-time or _ part-time paramedics.
scheduled.

They receive a $10 per hour over-:
night fee to be at the station, which
rises to their regular wage for three-
hours if called out.

“You'd be considered working

from the time the pager goes on until

three hours elapse,” unit chief Carl
Wassink said.

» Often paramedics are called to a -

second incident, in which case they
continue to be paid their regular
wage for another three hours uniess
the call takes more time. .

Wassink said if the ‘overnight
crew is called out, and a second call
comes in, a second ambulance crew,
would be paged from home.

' The second ‘crew is, paid’a $2

pager fee per hour to be on-call, and -

would receive their regular wage for

. thrée hours, or longer if required, if’

called out.
“As always the expectation is to

make the quickest safest response to ©

the station to do the call,” Wassink
said. -

_Wassink recently compiled stats
on ambulance service for last year,
which proved to be the-busiest one
yet for Terrace paramedics. . 0,

The ambulance service respond-
ed to 2,484 calls, ‘a rise of 304 over

” 2003, and the fifth consecutive year

with an increase.
Ambulance _ services

over 200 calls per month for eight

months in 2004. The busiest month

> was May with 256 calls. ¥

“It used to-be those were rare,”
unit chief Carl Wassink said.
- “Tt wasn’t that, many years ago

__ when we wouldn’t break 200 in a
; month and here we have eight.”

'- The ‘most noticeable difference

"was transfers, which totalled 1,101.

Of those, 409 were Medevac trans-

fers.
Wassink said his staff flew 15

‘Medevac, flights, ; a jump from: eighit

‘in 2003.”

“It’s really a highlight for. those”

of us who like to fly,” Wassink said.
The Medevac helicopter lets res-
cue crews fly in to an injured per-

received

TERRACE PARAMEDICS Scott Peden (left) and Carl.Wassink can expect more work as:of March 1, with .

extended hours for ambulance staff ensuring, round-the-clock coverage for the community.

9

_ MARGARET SPEIRS PHOTO

son’s location.

Generally. a helicopter _from,
Prince Rupert is used; however,

when it’s busy, the Terrace crew pi-
lots the Medevac‘helicopter.
For the first year, Wassink chart-

ed the distance the ambulance: drove, :

which’ ‘totalled 140,043 km...

"It tells» us how long an - ambu- :
- Terrace has three full-time and one

lance is going to last,” he said.

Terrace paramedics get a replace-.

ment ambulance after about 320,000
km.

This year has already started ona
positive note for paramedics.

Level one paramedics are now el-
igible for training in the use of TV's

_IV’s can be given.at the scene or.
in the ambulance.

Wassink said. IV’s. are a com-
mon procedure for hospital staff but

‘When we do give.it, it can-make .
2 a ‘huge, difference,” Wassink said.

now that paramedics can administer.

them, it will save time for nurses and -
doctors... °°

A new. Level One’ staff member
received the - training” during her
schooling.

The 14 other Level One paramed-

ics can‘elect to take the course.
Lével two paramedics, of which

part-time, learned IV administration
with their training.
The ambulance service is con-

tinuing fundraising for a Propaq En- .

core monitor, which will allow para-
medics to record a patient’s blood
pressure, heart rate, heart rhythm

-and-oxygen saturation levels auto-,
“4 matically, freeing” ‘them to do other
_necessary procedures.

All the information. will then be

° given to hospital staff upon arrival.
-- “It?s something we're excited

As acar buyer, ‘are you put off or intimidated by
pushy sales people? Do you feel confident that you

are getting what you should for your trade? Are
you getting the absolute best deals?

2

With Terrace Totem Ford, you can be'sure that you ~
are getting top dollar for your trade, and your deal i is
the absolute best. Terrace Totem Ford allows us to be

professional., not:
A, pushy. That means

- we're here to offer
knowledgeable,
“ -honest advice

~ with a no

pressure buying |
_ experience. |

We really want
‘to help with —
your automotive

about,” Wassink said.

“Hopefully. they” can take the ‘in-

formation we - give them and then
carry. on with treatments -and not
have to revisit what we’ve done.

‘It-helps the patient, speed along
through the system that much bet-

2,

ter... oe 3

Terrace. ambulance services has °
spent over 2-1/2 years raising $8,616,

_ thanks to community. donations, but
‘still needs another $4,400. “

The. unit would be used. for pa-
tients with pre- existing heart prob-.
lems and those with chest pain.

Wassink said he is already in
contact with a company who will

Sell him a refurbished. monitor. with

a one-year absolute warranty. |

‘Terrace ambulance servicés has
to purchase the monitor. It’s not sup-

plied to them due to its high cost.

7h GENERAL pad

SRTEAN ERTIES

waeat, Eggshell nota la
a Semi-Gloss |

choice injust the =|
right way: You’re in *

control, we’

y to help. -

We are

re here

Todd Bellamy, _

_ Graham Scott, _

- Dimitri Filtziakis
Melaney Pylot.

News In Brief

. letter from.the ministry of transportation.

annual Skills Canada event. Winners are eligible t to 89

~ Jeans jacked

THIEVES SMASHED through the glass of Trigo’s
Lifestyle’ s Kalum St. door and stole four pairs of NBA
jeans just after midnight on March 9.

The jeans, which are only available at Trigo’s in Ter-
race, are embroidered with basketball players’ names,
numbers, mesh and coloured patches. They are valued
at $711.96...

- Terrace RCMP seek the public’s help in solving this

x crime. Anyone with information can call the detach-

ment at 638-7400.

~ No to overhead signs .

- THERE won't be any more of those electronic Signs

warning motorists of road conditions popping up in the

= Terrace area any time soon.
«. The Kitimat-Stikine regional district had forwarded

a request to the'provincial transportation ministry to see -

if it could enter into a cost-sharing project for two new .

signs — one which would have goné’on Hwy37 south
between Kitimat and Terrace and. the other near Kit- ,
wanga. : »
But witha price tag of $375,000 apiece, the cost is,
just too high, says regional district director Stew Chris-
tensen. -
_ “The most responsible contribution to ensuring safe-
tyon the road especially during extreme winter weather:

‘is a combination of diligent management of the road

“maintenance and good public communications,” " said a

Workers say veil

-.- MEMBERS OF tthe B.C. Government and Service Em-..

ployees’ ‘Union (BCGEV), working at Northwest Com-.
‘munity. College. here haye voted 88 Per cent in favour
Of anew contract. =. “ :
. The college board has also voted i in favour of accept-
ing the agreement 1 reached with the help of a provincial
government-appointed fact finder. ~ . “
Details won’t be released until other colleges and’

- workers, around the province ratify their own tentative

agreements.. ;
The deal.ends rotating strikes that since Christmas

had shut down the.college’s main campus in Terrace T.

and its operations | elsewhere in the north, |

Rotating ‘strikes took place at Douglas. College,:.
. BCIT, Northern Lights and other facilities throughout

the Province. .
9

“Trades camp next week.

‘HIGH SCHOOL students from around the area are ex- - | _ |

_ pected at Northwest Community College: next week. to.

> take part in its annual trades camp.

The students. will be. alongside their college coun-
‘terparts in the carpentry, welding, millwright; auto’
mechanic, heavy duty mechanic and culinary arts pro-
grams, says,college coordinator Ken Downs.

The last day, March.24, features competitions in the. .

the

to province-wide competitions.

Students ‘in‘all of the programs except. heavy: uty, or

‘mechanics ‘can ‘enter the’ Skills Canada competitions. ”
- “We are also doing a trades fair which i 1S open t to the”

‘public on the 24 ” said Downs. «
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