REGINA – In a medical emergency, every second counts.
“It’s a fast pace, changing everyday profession,” said Leanne Anderson, primary care paramedic.
Many rural communities rely on the services of trained volunteers.
“It could take an ambulance over half an hour to arrive. That’s why first responders are vital to the health care system, so that somebody is there in their community that they know,” said Anderson.
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First responders arrive at the scene within minutes of the initial call, while paramedics are being dispatched.
“Even if it’s to hold a hand of a sick grandma, or somebody who needs some oxygen, or for someone who needs help getting out of a vehicle because it’s wrecked on the highway, first responders are there within ten minutes,” said Bill Cook, first responder conference chairperson.
And in some cases, first responders are the only ones on the scene. But finding enough of those volunteers is often hard. That’s why, each year, a conference is held in Moose to enforce training and education.
“Some people can get into it and continue on. Some people will get into it and the first bad scene or the first scene that doesn’t sit well with them — they’re done,” said Scott Debienne, immediate care paramedic.
There are more than 1,300 first response volunteers in Saskatchewan.
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