Life-saving defibrillators should be in every public gathering spot

Last week PM Stephen Harper announced the Government of Canada will be investing $10 Million to outfit as many as 3000 arenas with life-saving defibrillators.

“We have the technology and we know that it works,” Harper said. “We know that with minimal training, defibrillators are easy to use. We know that by making these devices more readily available, fast treatment will save lives.”

Automated defibrillator

This is an idea whose time has come.  Cote Saint-Luc has had defibrillators in place in its arena and City Hall / Library complex for more than 10 years and has since added additional units at the outdoor pool, ACC and tennis club.  At a relatively low-cost these easy-to-use defibrillators save lives.  They should be required in every major gathering spot, just as fire extinguishers or first aid kits are.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, which is working with the government on the program, 40,000 Canadians experience a sudden cardiac arrest each year, and only about five per cent of them survive.

It’s not uncommon for people to suffer heart attacks and strokes in rinks and arenas, many which already have defibrillators installed.

I have personally performed CPR about 125 times during my EMS and Urgences Santé career.  I have personally witnessed that early bystander CPR followed by rapid defibrillation and advanced life support is critical in those precious minutes that invariably mean whether a patient will be revived or not.

With automated defibrillators now sold at the retail level there is no reason they can’t be made more widely available.  Federal funding is a good jumpstart.

 

CSL EMS crews save two lives in January

CSL EMS crews save two lives in January

Joel Goldenberg, The Suburban. February 20th, 2013

Members of Côte St. Luc’s volunteer Emergency Medical Services crew helped save the lives of two people who had gone into cardiac arrest this past January.

According to a city statement, the first incident took place Jan. 17, when the crew encountered a woman in her 30s who had gone into convulsions and was in cardiac arrest. According to a description of what happened next, the crew “delivered one electrical shock with their defibrillator and administered CPR before Urgences Santé arrived on scene. The Urgences Santé crew delivered more shocks while en route to hospital. The patient was conscious in hospital and it is believed the patient will suffer no long term effects from the incident. She was released from the hospital and is recovering at home.”

The second incident took place Jan. 23, when a man in his 70s “collapsed outside a food shop on Westminster. The primary Côte St. Luc EMS crew was busy on a pediatric trauma call, so another first responder was dispatched. When he arrived, the patient had no pulse. He delivered one electrical shock with a defibrillator and Urgences Santé arrived shortly thereafter. The patient regained a pulse and was breathing on his own. He was transported to hospital and has since been released to convalesce at home,” says a description of what transpired.

Councillor Glenn Nashen, in charge of the public safety portfolio on council, said the success of the crews in these two instances demonstrated “the skills and professionalism of the volunteer service” and thanked the more than 95-person crew in general for providing “exceptional services,” to both Côte St. Luc residents and visitors in the more than 3,000 calls they respond to each year.

“Their quick action and sharp skills mean the difference between life and death,” Nashen said.

Related articles

• CSL crews save lives (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

CSL EMS volunteers: Your hero next door

I regularly report on the incredible, life-saving efforts of our Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services volunteers.  We cannot thank these fine young women and men enough for their countless acts of bravery and dedication to our residents and visitors.

At this week’s EMS membership meeting I was pleased to join Mayor Anthony Housefather and City Manager Tanya Abramovitch in passing on the appreciation of all Cote Saint-Lucers.

A few members were singled out for saving lives including Anthony G, and Robert R, as mentioned on this blog a few weeks ago.  Also recognized were Sergey A, Audrey M, Cassandre D for assisting in a birth at home.

EMS volunteers are trained in basic life support however some have climbed the ranks within the medical profession and continue to apply their skills.  Even those working as Urgences Santé paramedics or those in medical school continue on as volunteer first responders.

For more information on CSL EMS or to join, please visit their site.  And, when you see the EMS white trucks and crews passing by please give a friendly wave and let them know how much you appreciate them always being at the ready to respond to the next emergency.

CSL crews save lives

Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services volunteers have had more excitement over the last few days than any volunteer could expect.  While on some shifts our volunteers watch the clock tick by, others keep them hopping, sometimes involving simultaneous emergency medical calls in different corners of our city.  In the past few days our volunteer First Responders successfully resuscitated two patients.

A few days ago the EMS overnight crew responded to a 911 call for a patient in convulsions and surprisingly found a 37 year old female in cardiac arrest. Out came the defibrillator and the EMS crew of Anthony and Robert delivered one shock and began CPR maneuvers before Urgences-santé ambulance technicians arrived on scene.

The ambulance crew delivered several more shocks while en route to the hospital. The patient regained consciousness in hospital and we learned that the patient will suffer no long term effects from the incident.

Earlier this week a man in his 70s collapsed outside of Qualitifruits on Westminster Avenue. The EMS crew was already at an emergency pediatric trauma call, so Public Safety Director Jordy Reichson responded, lights flashing and siren wailing. When he arrived, the patient had no pulse.  Notwithstanding frigid outside temperatures below -20C, Reichson hooked the man up to the defibrillator and delivered one shock.  Urgences-santé ambulance techs arrived shortly thereafter and felt a spontaneous pulse.  The collapsed man began breathing on his own and was rushed to hospital.

These very real examples show just how invaluable our EMS is to our city and our residents.  Thanks to Cote Saint-Luc EMS crews for saving two lives in the last week and for countless other amazing interventions to assist our residents and visitors every day.

 

CSL EMS volunteers – At the ready

While Urgences Santé emergency medical technicians are set to go on strike tonight, Christmas Eve , Cote Saint-Luc volunteers will be manning our local Emergency Medical Services station round the clock.  CSL’s first responders will ensure there is no disruption when a 911 medical emergency happens in our town.

Ambulance is an essential service and therefore the strike is largely symbolic. Medics will likely wear army fatigues or jeans rather than their proper uniform and will plaster stickers across their ambulances.  Unprofessional to be sure and largely disrespectful of property paid for by the public. True, the vast majority of “paramedics” are wonderfully dedicated and very talented, but the union has a way of getting their way.

Nonetheless, Cote Saint-Luc volunteers are always ready and able, and look mighty fine at all times.  We’ve asked our volunteers to put in some extra time over the holidays and even to double up so multiple calls will be answered without delay.

You can help too.  If you’re baking or cooking why not prepare a couple more helpings and drop it off at the station with a bottle of coke – 8100 Cote Saint-Luc Road?  Our crews will be thrilled with the attention and the grub as they man the fort during Christmas and right through New Year’s Eve and Day.  Your thoughtfulness and generosity will be warmly appreciated.  Just ring the bell at the front door, and as long as they’re not out on a call you’ll see some pretty big smiles. (If they’re out you can leave it at the door.  It’ll stay cold!)

CSL EMS volunteers are highly skilled life savers.  Fully trained in-house, they are multilingual, young and energetic and  very happy to assist those in need.  So, thank a medic from CSL EMS when you see them next.  They’re on duty for you.

Early bystander CPR helps save a life in CSL

The stars were clearly aligned on June 28th for a 46 year old man who went into sudden cardiac arrest at his home in Cote Saint-Luc.

Bystander CPR was started by someone on scene. The CSL EMS crew of Samantha and Adam arrived alongside two police officers from Station 9. The two police officers ran upstairs to take over compressions while the EMS crew established an airway and provided ventilations, as no shock was advised on the monitor.

Urgences-santé showed up shortly thereafter and by the time the patient was loaded into the ambulance, he had regained a spontaneous pulse and respirations.

Great teamwork between the emergency services and a focus on the patient clearly made the difference.

Thanks and congratulations to Cote Saint-Luc’s finest police officers, EMS volunteers and the ambulance technicians.  Everyone involved in this intervention performed to the best of their abilities resulting in a life saved.  You are all to be congratulated for excellent work.

 

Ready to learn in a Cote Saint-Luc CPR Heartsaver AED class?  They are offered to the public each month.  The dates of the next few CPR courses being offered are:

Monday July 9th 2012

Thursday August 9th 2012

Monday September 17th 2012

Thursday October 11th 2012

Monday November 12th 2012

Thursday December 6th 2012

Monday January 14th 2013

The Heartsaver CPR/AED classes can have up to 12 participants per class.

For more information on CPR courses please contact the Cote Saint-Luc Parks and Recreation Department at www.cotesaintluc.org or by phone at 514-485-6806.

CPR saves lives. Learn it.

Ambulance strike off, for now

This Urgences Santé ambulance spotted on Cote des Neiges Road Friday afternoon was readied for strike actions that were called off at the last moment

Urgences Sante ambulance paramedics were set to go on strike this weekend but this action was called off at the last minute.  Ambulances were already defaced with stickers by disgruntled union activists by Friday afternoon despite the strike being called off.

By law, ambulance service is considered essential and therefore the would-be strike action is limited to administrative delays, defacing property and not wearing uniforms, for example.  But delays in service is a possibility as evidenced by previous strike activity.

Nevertheless, Cote Saint-Luc’s volunteer Emergency Medical Services is always at the ready to respond to emergency calls as the authorized first responder service of this city.  EMS responds to Priority 1 (life threatening) and 3 (potentially life threatening) calls unlike the rest of the Island of Montreal where the Montreal Fire Department responds to Priority 1 only, when available.

EMS has ben known to respond to multiple emergencies at the same time.  With a fleet of three emergency first responder vehicles and some volunteers even equipped with radios and gear in their personal vehicles EMS has been able to answer as many as four emergency situations at the same time.  This is incredible service to those in Cote Saint-Luc and any strike action by ambulance technicians in the future would result in several volunteers being available to tend to the sick or injured while awaiting ambulance response.

Bravo to our dedicated and talented EMS volunteers.

CSL’s EMS finishes another great year

Free Press, February 28, 2012

Where is CSL EMS?

Letter to the Editor (Response), The Suburban, September 21, 2011

CSL EMS is here

In response to the letter from Concerned Sports Enthusiast (Sept. 14, 2011, see below) Cote Saint-Luc EMS is here when lives are on the line and seconds count. For over 30 years, the volunteer EMS first responders have put their heart and soul into helping the sick and injured. But EMS does not respond to every medical call in Côte Saint-Luc and here is why:

When someone calls 9-1-1 for a medical incident, the call is answered by an Emergency Medical Responder at Urgences-santé, who gathers as much information as possible, such as the level of consciousness, and assigns a code and a priority. In the other cities on the island of Montreal, the Fire Department responds to high priority calls. In Côte Saint-Luc, EMS responds to both high and medium priority calls.

Calls that are determined to not be life-threatening, such as sprains and strains are classified as low priority, where the ambulance response time can be up to 3 hours. EMS does not respond to these calls. Not because we don’t want to help those in need, but because if the first responders go to a low priority call, they are no longer available to respond to a high priority call. This puts patients who really need the service at risk of receiving no first responder care. It is these high priority calls where the first responder can make a real difference, with their advanced training and equipment. For example, the incident at the baseball diamond was assessed to be a low priority call and as such, EMS was not dispatched to this call.

As for the missing AED in the arena, it was removed earlier the same day to fix a malfunction. Although it would not have been used in this case, the City has since revised its procedures to ensure that broken AEDs are replaced with a spare unit while they are being repaired. The arena’s AED was repaired and replaced the next day.

In 2010, the CSL EMS volunteers responded to over 3,000 medical emergency calls, as well as being on hand at community events, fires, disasters and more. The 80+ highly skilled and dedicated volunteers take great pride in their service and thanks to outstanding community support, CSL EMS is not only here to respond to medical calls today, but for many years to come.

Glenn J. Nashen

City Councillor – Public Safety

City of Côte Saint-Luc

*

Jordy Reichson

Director of Public Safety

City of Côte Saint-Luc

The Suburban, Letters to the editor, September 14, 2011

***

Letter to the Editor, Suburban, Sept. 14, 2011

Where is CSL EMS?

Dear CSL EMS,

Where are you? Why don’t you respond?

We see you driving around CSL, we see you parked behind buildings or at the sports fields, but twice in the last two weeks an ambulance needed to be called and you were nowhere to be found.

The first incident was about a week ago at the softball field. A batter in his late 30’s pulled his groin terribly running to first base. He could not even stand to get off the field. After being assisted to the bench he passed out. We were very concerned and called 911. It took the ambulance about 25 minutes to respond – which I guess was ok because the patient had come to by the time we were on the phone with 911…but where was EMS…how far away could they have been?

Then last night after hockey at 11:30 pm one of the players (age 69) had severe chest pains, was lying on the floor in the dressing room and also was looking like he would pass out or was having a heart attack. The ambulance took about 15-20 minutes but where were the first responders everyone is always so proud of? I hope they were busy responding somewhere else. But someone should look into these incidents before something tragic happens.

By the way – the defibrilator in the arena also seemed to be missing.

Concerned Sports Enthusiast

————————————

 

Learn to Save a Life – Learn CPR

Volunteers from vCOP take a refresher in CPR and Automated External Defibrillation

 

I first learned Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation back in my high school days and have recertified at regular intervals ever since.  Standards have changed slightly through the years and simple to use, life-saving equipment such as Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs have been added to the course.  The fact remains, with as little as a couple of hours of education anybody can learn to save a life.   

Having served as an Emergency Medical Technician aboard Urgences Santé ambulances for 18 years I was called upon to perform CPR some 125 times.  While the very first time was somewhat of a shocker – while I stood frozen gawking at the patient in cardiac arrest awaiting my intervention, my partner (it was either Dennis Clement or Gary McHugh) grabbed me by the collar, slapped my face and pointed to my assigned spot on the floor beside the patient.  I never had another problem beginning CPR again.   

vCOP founder Glenn J. Nashen practicing on Resusci-Annie

 

The plain fact is that the average person will probably never need to perform CPR.  But, the more members of the public that get trained, the greater chance of having someone close-by when urgent and immediate action is needed.  

If saving the world one person at a time isn’t your thing then consider your immediate family.  If you haven’t taken the opportunity to learn CPR, or to take a refresher course,  how would you feel if your mother or father, brother, sister or child collapsed in cardiac arrest before your very eyes?  You have the choice to either be prepared to help your loved one when seconds really count or to look on helplessly.  The answer ought to be clear.The City of Cote Saint-Luc offers CPR courses every month at the Parks and Recreation offices on Mackle at Parkhaven.  Fees are reduced for CSL residents but available to all.  Call 514-485-6800 for details.  Or call the Heart and Stroke Foundation for a course near you. 

Related Articles

• CPR should be compulsory in high-school education (theglobeandmail.com)
• CPR: How to Save a Life (aolhealth.com)

The Boroughs of CDN-NDG and Ville-Marie will be served by Firefighter First Responders starting December 7

The Boroughs of CDN-NDG and Ville-Marie will be served by Firefighter First Responders starting December 7

The Monitor, November 30th 2009

Serge Tremblay, Director of the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM), is pleased to announce that the ninth and last cohort of firefighter first responders will be ready for service starting December 7, 2009, in the boroughs of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Ville-Marie. This step marks the end of the implementation of this service throughout the territory of the Montréal Agglomeration.

The Director is very pleased with the deployment of the cohorts of firefighter first responders on the territory of the Montréal Agglomeration. “The implementation of the medical first responder service has successfully followed its course. It will very soon be reaching its final phase, with the launch of this last cohort. Approximately 1700 firefighters of the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal will now be certified medical first responders. This service will help SIM firefighters save more lives and will help make residents feel safer.”

The new firefighter first responders will be working at Station 4 (5260, rue Van Horne), Station 27 (5353, rue Gatineau), Station 34 (5369, chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine) and Station 46 (4760, avenue Cumberland) in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce; Station 10 (1445, rue Saint-Mathieu) and Station 25 (1212, rue Drummond) in the borough of Ville-Marie as well as Station 78 (6815, chemin de la Côte-Saint-Luc) in the City of Côte Saint-Luc.

Starting December 7, all fire stations within the Agglomeration will be offering medical first responder service. All residents on the island of Montréal will be able to benefit from this service. “The fast response of firefighter first responders in critical emergency situations can make all the difference, because in such situations, every second counts. On the strength of the introduction of eight other cohorts of medical first responders since 2007, we have the confirmation that this service meets the needs of the population and that its beneficial impact was well worth the efforts invested,” added Mr. Tremblay.

Operating as a complement to Urgences-santé crews, firefighter first responders stabilize the victims’ condition while awaiting more advanced medical care from paramedics. Their response to victims in critical emergencies helps save lives and reduces potential damage. Once the medical first responder service has been completely phased-in on the territory of the Montréal Agglomeration, this will mark a transformation in the entire pre-hospital services sector in Greater Montréal.

***

First responders riding trucks

Firefighters trained to give medical help

THE GAZETTE

DECEMBER 8, 2009 10:37 AM

Montrealers should get used to seeing fire trucks come calling when there is no fire, but a medical emergency.

That was the main message yesterday from a top-ranking fire department official as all of Montreal Island’s 65 fire stations became staffed with qualified first responders – firefighters with enough medical training to help people in distress make it until an ambulance arrives.

Richard Liebmann, chief of the fire department’s first responders division, said 1,700 of the island’s 2,300 firefighters had received the 62 hours of training to be first responders as of yesterday. The latest graduates are in fire stations 4, 27, 34 and 46 in Côte des Neiges/Notre Dame de Grâce borough and in stations 10 and 25 in western downtown, he said.

There are now at least two first responders per station per shift. The first responders now respond to all priority one calls – including when a person is in cardiac arrest, is not breathing or has had a severe allergic reaction, he said.

Ambulances are also called for those cases, and both may arrive at the scene. But there is little redundancy because ambulances typically aren’t available as quickly. “We get there more than a minute before ambulances in 90.6 per cent of the cases,” he said.

Ambulance technicians’ jobs are more time consuming, involving more advanced levels of care, transporting the patient to a hospital and transferring the patient to the hospital’s care.

First responders sent to a medical emergency do not transport patients, Liebmann said.

They are also ready and equipped to go and fight a fire if called to one, he added.

In my opinion:  It must be emphasized that the firefighter first responders will not answer emergency medical calls in the City of Cote Saint-Luc.  This is the sole responsibility of the Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services.  Also to note, Montreal firefighters will only respond to Priority 1 medical emergencies when the crew in station is available.  EMS responds to Priority 1 as well as Priority 2 medical emergencies and can often answer two, three and even four simultaneous emergency calls thanks to its numerous volunteers who remain on call round the clock.

30 Years of Volunteering in Cote Saint-Luc’s emergency services

This month marks my 30th anniversary since first joining the Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Measures Organization (Emergency Medical Services or EMS since the mid 80s).

In 1979, fresh out of Bialik High School, I attended Vanier College during the day to complete my regular CEGEP program.  During the evening,  Ruth Kovac and I studied in Dawson College’s Emergency Medical Technician program under master instructor Gary McHugh.

8100 Cote Saint-Luc Road through the years: Home of CSL's first mayor, Luc Prud'homme, Police Station, Fire Station, Recreation Department, Senior Men's Club, Emergency Measures Organization, Emergency Medical Services, Public Security Department, Public Safety headquarters

EMO ran out of 8100 Cote Saint-Luc Road.  This heritage building was the home of the first mayor of Cote Saint-Luc, Luc Prud’homme.  Later it became the police station and fire station.  A holding cell is still in the basement and the stable out back, torn down in the 80s, housed the horses that raced to fires with water containers in tow.

Glenn J. Nashen on duty with Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Measures Organization, 1983

Back then, EMO was lead by Brian Payne along with Norm Adler.  Jack Dym served as Chief of Operations.  Erwin Luden was involved in Auxilairy Security.  Several hundred, perhaps over 1000 young adults have passed through these doors and have gone on to many different professions. Several went on to become doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. 

EMO sparked my interest in local politics with an eye toward improving and expanding this service as well as other local emergency services.

1983 photo of EMO's RMF-11 (for Rescue, Medical, Fire) was a copy of the vehicle from the 70s TV series "Emergency"

 

In 1979 EMO received its calls directly from residents or from private ambulance companies that were stationed in Lasalle, NDG or elsewhere in Montreal.  Our response vehicle, RMF-11 (for Rescue-Medical-Fire) was a copy of the one used on the 1970s hit-TV series “Emergency”.  We wore brown coveralls with a yellow stripe, carried an official Cote Saint-Luc “Rescue” badge and wore either police type cap or a fire helmet.  At night, we would sleep on army cots waiting for the phone to ring.

Our training was excellent back then, as it is today.  In addition to the medical education we also learned light rescue techniques: how to repel off the side of a building and how to lower a victim in a stokes basket.  We practiced off the roof at 8100 and at the tennis court building on Guelph near Wentworth, when it used to be a pump house.

Councillors Glenn J. Nashen and Ruth Kovac enrolled at the Emergency Preparedness College of Canada 1991

 We learned how to march in unison and paraded each year in the Remembrance Day Parade from the CSL Shopping Centre to the cenotaph (now Father Martin Foley Park) between the Fire Station and the Post Office.

Much has changed in 30 years and I am fortunate to have been involved in just about every major decision concerning first responders and emergency preparedness ever since. 

We fell under the Urgences Santé system back in 1982 when the ambulance companies were brought under a single communications and operational command.  This was before 9-1-1 was launched in Montreal.

Glenn J. Nashen on duty with Urgences Santé and Jeff Silver (in brown coveralls) with EMO

My wonderful memories and experiences will last a lifetime, thanks to the CSL EMO and EMS.  It shaped my interest in community, influenced my professional career path and launched my political life.  My story has repeated hundreds of times for so many other young people who went through this program, and our community has been strengthened because of it.  And residents have been comforted and lives have been saved for more than 30 years.

Cote Saint-Luc EMO launched my side-career as an Urgences-Santé ambulance technician in 1980

  

My EMO involvement also led to 5 years of volunteer service on the Canadian Ski Patrol. I rose to the level of Assistant Patrol Leader at Mont Alta in Ste-Agathe. This is a picture of me bringing an injured skier down the hill on toboggan.

Op-ed submission to The Gazette re: Montreal Firefighters Association and CSL EMS

Op-ed submission to The Gazette

November 29, 2007

By Anthony Housefather and Glenn J. Nashen

In The Gazette of November 28, 2007, the Montreal Firefighters Association published an open letter to Russell Copeman, MNA, in which it claimed that Côte Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services (EMS) first responders have “much slower response times than Montreal firefighters.” It went on to urge Mr. Copeman to consult the official figures from Urgences-santé.

The City of Côte Saint-Luc has consulted those figures and they demonstrate that the claims of the Montreal Firefighters Association are completely false.

For the first eight periods of 2007-2008 as measured by Urgences-santé, the average response time of our superb EMS volunteers was 6 minutes and 18 seconds from the time that a call was received at the Urgences-santé communication centre until EMS arrived at the scene. In comparison, the average time for the Montreal firefighters was 8 minutes and 24 seconds. In short, on average the fire department was 2 minutes and 6 seconds slower than Cote Saint-Luc EMS.

The numbers are all the more staggering when one looks at the average response time for the firefighters in our neighbouring Town of Hampstead, where their average response time was 9 minutes. Meaning that they were 2 minutes and 42 seconds slower than Côte Saint-Luc EMS.

It is disappointing that the firefighters union is so nervous about having a service on the island whose numbers can be compared with theirs, that they choose to mislead the public as to the facts.

Côte Saint-Luc is proud to have had a superb EMS service that we have run for the last 27 years. While we are very happy that the firefighters will provide these services to the rest of the island of Montreal, we have no desire to see our excellent service that meets the needs of our municipality replaced by the firefighters. We are very thankful that the Minister of Municipal Affairs has recognized the value of our service and allowed us to retain it in the draft of Bill 22 she presented and we will continue to fight to retain our service.

While we have no desire to attack the fire department, we will respond to the distortions and misleading information that are coming continually from the Montreal Firefighters Association.

Anthony Housefather is mayor of Côte Saint-Luc. Glenn J. Nashen is the councillor responsible for public safety.

Support first responders

Support first responders

2006-10-11

The article, EMS not always available (The Suburban, Oct. 4) unfortunately cast an undeserved shadow over an organization that most Côte St. Lucers consider to be an outstanding, life-saving group. Our dedicated and highly skilled Emergency Medical Services volunteers generously provide hundreds, and in some cases over a thousand hours of their personal time each year. They pay for their own training and they take time away from family, friends, work and school.

Indeed, attributing your headline, EMS not always available: Urgences Santé is rather misleading since the actual quote in the story reads, “They’ve always been very available.”

As has always been the case, our EMS first responders generally achieve about 80 percent coverage in any 24-hour period. Most calls occur in the evening and during those hours we are on duty over 90 percent of the time.

Our volunteers respond to more than 3,000 calls for medical emergencies each year and generally respond in about 4 minutes, on average about 5 to 6 minutes before the ambulance arrives. This point is critical in life threatening emergencies.

We have nearly 20 new recruits who will soon join the ranks of our 70 first responders. We are always looking for more volunteers.

While the Montreal Fire Department wishes to take over Priority 1 (life threatening emergencies) response in Côte St. Luc in 2009, the Quebec government has given us three years to negotiate this point. The mayor and I, backed up by our city council, are fighting vigorously to keep our EMS as the exclusive first responders for our city.

Glenn J. Nashen
City Councillor (Public Safety)
Côte St. Luc

2006-10-11

EMS not always available: Urgences Santé

EMS not always available: Urgences Santé

By Joel Goldenberg, The Suburban

2006-10-04

According to statistics provided to The Suburban by the Urgences Santé ambulance service, the availability of EMS volunteers for emergency calls varied wildly during September.

In most instances, the city’s three EMS vehicles were unavailable for emergencies for stretches of time ranging from eight hours in a day – mostly the overnight shift – to nearly an entire day.

The longest space of time was, according to Urgences Santé’s statistics, when all three EMS vehicles were unavailable from 11:23 p.m. Sept. 20 to 5:45 p.m. Sept. 21; from 10 p.m. Sept. 21 to 3 p.m. Sept. 22 and from 3:39 p.m. to 8 p.m. On Sept. 21 and 22, EMS vehicles were only available for nine hours in a 48-hour period.

These statistics surprised Urgences Santé spokesman André Champagne.

“They’ve always been very available,” he said Friday. “It’s a volunteer service. I figure they’re probably running out of breath or staff – I don’t know. They used to be available for us most of the time.

Meanwhile, the EMS, which is able to respond to local calls before Urgences Santé and stabilize patients, is boosting its efforts to recruit volunteers and solicit donations.

Côte St. Luc councillor Glenn Nashen says EMS’s volunteer strength “is more or less about the same as where it’s been usually – about 70 volunteers, with about 40 or 50 that are considered quite active. Of those, there are 20 to 25 that are super active.

“As long as I’ve been involved, it’s really been about the same.”

Nashen said EMS is covering 76 to 78 percent of the clock on average for the year.

“The evening is when we’re busiest, and we cover a little over 90 percent, as much as 96 percent,” he said. “During the day, we’re about 80 percent.”

But he admitted that the overnight coverage is the weakest in the cycle. “It’s been that way forever,” he said. “We have the least amount of calls then. We want to cover our busiest times, the evening.”

Nashen declined comment on Urgences Santé’s statistics for September, calculated by The Suburban to be 66.2 percent on average up to Sept. 25.

“I don’t know if their numbers are the same as ours, EMS didn’t do the September numbers just yet.”

Nashen also acknowledged that the availability can vary widely day by day.

“Each day is completely and totally different, because we’re dealing with volunteers,” he said. “It’s entirely possible we have days that are covered 24 hours. One day was covered just 12 hours, which is rare, but I guess it can happen.”

EMS director Stéphane Kallos said he will take a closer look at the service’s data for September.

Nashen said EMS is recruiting more people to try and cover as much of the day as possible, and training more than in recent years.

Nashen said 20 people are currently in training, and that EMS’s volunteer numbers will soon rise to 90 .

“The new people haven’t been cleared through the system yet because the courses themselves since last year only began in August, so they’re going through the training process, which could last a few months. By the time they come out of the system, that’s five or 10 more medics on the road.

“Our numbers six to 12 months from now are going to increase considerably compared to the last year or two, when the courses were far, far less than what we have now.”

Asked if there is a morale problem because of the scheduled 2009 takeover of Priority 1 emergency calls by the Montreal fire department from EMS, Nashen said, “I can guarantee you that over the course of the 26 years I’ve been involved, there are peaks and troughs when it comes to morale. Right now, morale has improved considerably in 2006 from 2005 with new management.

“Things are looking very good, as far as I’m concerned.”

Côte St. Luc will lobby Quebec to have EMS respond to extreme emergency calls after Dec. 31, 2008, when Montreal is expected to shift those calls to its fire department.