10 minute response time not guaranteed but death by heart attack is
Island EMS Manager Craig Pierre, we can’t be everywhere
By Stephen Pate – The death from heart attack on Victoria Row last weekend earned Island EMS, the private contractor for ambulance services, a black eye.
Charlottetown Councilor Mitch Tweel says the service was too slow to respond to the man who suffered a heart attack and died. Bystanders did attempt CPR until the ambulance arrived but to no avail.
“You’d basically have to put an ambulance on every street corner.”— said Craig Pierre, Island EMS manager told CBC.
Update April 2015 – Since this article was published in 2010, Island EMS has upgraded there service to provide faster response in Charlottetown and Summerside, if not in all rural areas, of PEI. Augmented with the new “811” nurse based service, 911 / EMS has been quick to respond in emergency situations. PS they saved my life with their quick response when I had a heart attack.
“Island EMS ambulances aim to be on the road within five minutes of getting a call, plus whatever time it takes to get to the scene. Anything faster than that, said Pierre, will take more resources from the province. You can range a response time from four minutes to 10 minutes in metro areas, but once you get into that lower number, then in order to achieve that you’d basically have to put an ambulance on every street corner,” he said.” CBC
Why does it take minutes “be on the road”? Are they watching Regis and Kelly and can’t leave until the commercial break. When did EMS become another non-responsive government service to Islanders?
The Province of Prince Edward Island announced the One-Island-One-Emergency service with great fanfare and promises but the thing has slipped into neutral with Pierre’s indifferent response.
The reality is that most EMS services are located on street corners, in parking lots and in the community because response time means lives. Approximately half of all Canadians will die from heart disease. Heart attacks kill people. The secret of success is getting paramedics to the victim before brain death in approximately 5 to 8 minutes.
Ten minute plus response times are not acceptable. If that’s the best Island EMS can do, then its time to replace them with another more effective system.
In some cities, a series of other first responders are available for medical emergencies, such as fire fighters and trained paramedic stations.
Observer
In rural areas fire services still respond and they are great. One Island Emergency Service will likely soon translate to One Island Ambulance – presumably stationed near Brighton in case someone important needs it.
Derek
Although it does surprise me that it takes them five minutes to get on the road, it may be unreasonable (or at least unaffordable) to have five minute response times everywhere. A program to increase the number of Automated External Defibrillators in use may be more cost effective. They cost under $2500, and could be placed in locations where people congregate (malls, the Row), and can be run by anyone who knows CPR. One was used successfully last winter to revive someone at the APM Centre in Cornwall.