Nine volunteers passed a first-aid training course from Accident Injury Prevention (AIP) Health and Safety Training in Calgary and are prepared to act as early medical response for emergencies in Beiseker.
The early medical response team was created to counteract the lack of volunteer firefighters, said Councillor Warren Wise.
“Generally, we have one to two firefighters in the day available to respond,” Wise said.
He said Beiseker residents have to wait for an ambulance to arrive from Crossfield or Airdrie when there is a medical emergency.
“It is something we’re trying because we’re worried that a medical emergency can’t be looked at in a timely fashion,” Wise said.
The nine newly trained volunteers and a 10th previously trained responder will join four fully trained firefighters in the village and will be outfitted with radios or pagers in order to be contacted in an emergency. The responders will work in conjunction with the fire department but are not required to undergo firefighter training.
Fire Chief Bob Ursu has informed 9-1-1 dispatchers the Village is now available to respond to medical emergency calls. In the past, staff had to divert calls to other municipalities when firefighters were unavailable.
Wise said the biggest problem for availability comes during the daytime hours when volunteer firefighters are working outside the village.
The new volunteers have more flexible schedules and are available day and night.
“These people are not EMS personal,” Wise said of the new team. “There are three tiers (to early medical response) and they’re in the lowest tier.”
Wise said during an emergency the Beiseker responders would assess the situation and provide advanced first aid until paramedics arrive. He said the team will enhance pre-existing EMS services provided by Alberta Emergency Health Services (AEHS).
“They are… for comfort and providing security to the people they are treating,” Wise said.
Village CAO Jo Lambert said she was comforted by the first responders last year when her late father suffered an aortic aneurism.
The team will not require costly medical equipment.
“It’s not costing anything,” Wise said. “It’s not a burden on taxpayers.”
The early responders team, which was first discussed in a meeting with Irricana Mayor Lisa Constantini and Rocky View Councillor Greg Boehlke late last year, continues to meet opposition from the County. At the meeting, Boehlke expressed concern over liability because fire services are not mandated to respond to medical calls under Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“Pre-hospital care is not the responsibility of Alberta fire departments, it is the responsibility of AHS,” he said.
He added the legal ramifications are unknown if something were to go wrong with the team during a medical situation because the Beiseker responders are stepping outside the fire department’s mandate.
