New Westminster firefighters taking on expanded emergency medical duties – BC

Firefighters in New Westminster are expanding their scope, allowing them to provide more medical assistance.

A new designation means firefighters in the city will practice as emergency medical responders instead of simply first responders.

Firefighters will be able to start working on a patient at the scene before ambulance paramedics arrive, including assessment of blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, or administering medication. The change has the support of the BC Ambulance Service.

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“It can be quite concerning or disturbing to firefighters once they arrive on-scene and the ambulance service is delayed,” New Westminster Deputy Fire Chief Brad Davie said.

“If they’re unable to attend quickly, and somebody is experiencing a medical condition that they feel they can help with prior to the arrival of the ambulance, now they’ll be able to do that.”

Davie said the change will benefit patients and firefighters’ mental health.

New Westminster’s fire department handles about 8,000 calls per year, more than half of them for medical emergencies.

The impetus for the expanded scope came, in part, as a result of the effects of the deadly 2021 heat dome. Twenty-eight people died in New Westminster during the emergency, prompting pressure for more emergency medical resources.

“We had crews tied up for hours on end and didn’t have tools or options available,” Davie said. “Had they had those tools and options available then it’s possible the casualty list may have been a lot shorter.”

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New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone said firefighters’ new roles and responsibilities will allow them to be more proactive during extreme weather events and increase community resiliency.

“It was a traumatic time for our firefighters because they wanted to provide help and they couldn’t do a lot of things or provide people comfort,” he said of the heat dome experience.

The change means firefighters in New Westminster will be formally classified as Emergency Medical Responders.

The city expects to introduce additional patient assessment and treatment capabilities later this year, including measuring blood sugar levels and administering glucagon for diabetic emergencies, epinephrine for extreme allergic reactions, and salbutamol for respiratory emergencies.