The Penhold Fire Department is now saving lives in more ways than one – and it is a provincial leader in doing it.
Thanks to accreditation from Alberta Health Services (AHS), the Penhold Fire Department is the first in the province to provide enhanced medical first response without operating an ambulance service.
The official designation came on Jan. 7 when the province accredited the Penhold Fire Department with the ability to practise at the EMT (emergency medical technician) level.
“It's very important for us. It's important for us to provide the highest level of service we can to the public,” said fire Chief Jim Pendergast, noting the scope of the enhanced medical service. “This means that we can provide some pain medications, drug interventions, and can start IVs (intravenous therapy). We can do everything an EMT can do,” he added.
“I'm thrilled. I'm so proud of my firefighters.”
The Penhold Fire Department began working with AHS three years ago after the town directed them to inquire about the enhanced medical service (as the only EMS service offered in Penhold), noted Pendergast.
The fire department has been working towards this designation since then said Pendergast, noting it was one of several pilot projects with the province.
Chad Moore, an AHS representative, was on hand for the announcement during a council meeting on Feb. 22.
“The Alberta Health Services started this process in the spring of last year with a new provincial framework for medical first response,” said Moore, noting the pilot project in Penhold. “Jim (Pendergast) and Simon (McMullen) have both been excellent to work with, and to help us design the process that's going to meet and fit the needs of municipalities around the province.”
Lt. Simon McMullen is the EMT medical officer in charge of the medical portion of the local fire department, noted Pendergast, adding they currently have a total of five or six EMTs and one nurse. Two additional firefighters are currently enrolled in EMT training as well.
“There's a tremendous amount of hard work involved. All of these firefighters have been training at their own cost at thousands of dollars every year,” he said, adding that with no ambulance service in Penhold it's important the fire department is able to be on scene quickly.
“Many times we're on scene in five minutes, from the time the (alarms) go off. We know that minutes and seconds saves lives in both fires and medical emergencies,” said Pendergast.
Innisfail Fire Department Chief Dean Clark said his department cannot provide the same level of medical first response because it is not accredited to the same level of service.
“We're not training to the (same) standard as Penhold,” said Clark. “Because we have an ambulance service in town we don't need it (enhanced medical first response). That's their job.”
Since its designation in early January, the Penhold Fire Department has already provided EMT services to patients.
“We had a hockey injury (in Penhold) where there was a skate that sliced across the wrist of a hockey player with very serious bleeding,” said Pendergast. “We responded to the incident and once we got fluids into him, his vitals improved dramatically.”
Pendergast said the department has had trained EMTs on site for about three years, but was not allowed to practise at that level until approved by AHS at the beginning of this year.
“As long as we have an EMT responding to the incident, the Penhold Fire Department can now provide EMT services. This will help save lives,” Pendergast concluded.
Jim Pendergast, fire chief
"It's important for us to provide the highest level of service we can to the public. This means that we can provide some pain medications, drug interventions, and can start IVs. We can do everything an EMT can do."
