The first people on the scene to Sunday night\u2019s tragic collision were Sackville Fire Department volunteers. The SFD received the call through 911 along with Ambulance NB and the RCMP. An ambulance arrived at the scene 27 minutes after a 911 call was received, and the RCMP arrived sometime after that. According to witnesses, SFD volunteers were quick to the scene and active in helping out, however, limited in what they could do. Although Sackville firefighters are trained in workplace first aid and CPR, they are not trained as medical first responders, as their counterparts at the Dorchester Fire Department.<\/p>\n
About 80% of the firefighters in the Dorchester Department are trained as medical first responders, says fire chief Greg Partridge. That means they undergo additional training and are able to do things like administer oxygen and operate defibrillators.<\/p>\n
With Dorchester farther away from an Ambulance NB station than Sackville, the extra training for the fire department volunteers has come in handy many times, says Partridge. \u201cOn a good day, [Ambulance NB is] 15 minutes away. We\u2019ve had response times an hour or so,\u201d says Partridge. \u201cAnd it doesn\u2019t really seem to be getting any better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Partridge says he thinks about half of the calls the department receives are medical calls, and depending on the situation, the early medical intervention can make a big difference. In the case of something like a heart issue where a defibrillator is called for, \u201cit\u2019s minutes that count,\u201d says Partridge. \u201cThe faster you can get a defib on somebody, especially if they have a heart issue, the more likely they will come out of it and move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Partridge says the training has been standard in Dorchester for roughly the last 15 years, though it is also optional for volunteers. Not everyone can handle the situations with medical calls, says Partridge, which may include blood, or children in distress. \u201cIf they don\u2019t choose to, they are just firefighters,\u201d says Partridge,\u201d and they do a great job at that.\u201d<\/p>\n