Dear Editor,
Once again I hear the sirens and say a prayer that they’ll get there in time and the person will be ok-or that it’s just a baby being born a little early… and once again I promise myself that I will write THIS letter to everyone that may need emergency service - that there are serious issues with the delays that can and now have been life threatening. Let me make it clear that I am not finding fault in any way with the paramedics or first responders but rather with the system or lack of funding for these services !
Back in January we had an emergency situation with my husband that looked like a heart attack or serious allergic reaction and had to make that dreaded 911 call. We live on a main road and only 7-10 minutes from the Cove, but after 15 minutes I still heard no sirens. Luckily my husband was feeling and looking better! I called the dispatcher once again and asked where they were and could I at least give him some aspirin (I was assuming it might be heart related.) The dispatcher assured me they were on their way and after consulting them said it was ok to give some aspirin with just enough water to get it down. After 30 minutes the paramedics arrived and he was stable but they suggested we go to the hospital to get him checked out. So we went in the ambulance with them checking his vitals and transferred to the waiting water taxi where they BOTH came with us to the other side and the waiting ambulance in Horseshoe Bay.
When I inquired about what would happen if there were an emergency while they were on the water taxi ,one of the paramedics said that it was “the luck of the draw” (!!) I also found out that part of the delay was the fact that only one paramedic was at the station and the other one was working in the community. I learned that the procedure is to page that other person and have them go to the station and change into their uniform before they go to the call! This crazy procedure could cost a life.
After sharing this information about our situation with certain people, I had hoped it would be addressed at meetings regarding health issues and emergency response times on Bowen. I said I would write a letter explaining our concerns and request funding for more staff or better response procedure. I kept putting it off and every time I heard a siren I swore I’d write THIS letter!! NOW I am!
Unfortunately there was an incident this past weekend when there was a call to one side of the island and then another more serious call to the other side of Bowen. The second call eventually ended up as a fatal heart attack on the way to hospital on the water taxi.This may have been because of delayed service or “luck of the draw” or just an unfortunate medical event( no matter where they were) My condolences to my friend’s family. Perhaps we need a different kind of procedure here on Bowen where the paramedics or first responders have their badge or jacket with them and just meet at the situation-whatever it may be.... I’d rather someone with some training just show up –with or without a uniform rather than have that long and possibly fatal wait!!
Once again I am NOT finding fault with the wonderful paramedics or first responders(and I hear it is often the volunteer firemen that show up first!) but rather the system or lack of funding for more resources. Something to think about with our aging population and young families that deserve these better resources. I hope this can be the start of conversation about this issue.
Sincerely, Jani Carroll
