Friday, May 6, 2011

** Texas woman hails 911 because ambulance was blocking her car

** PEI paramedic contract negotiations stall over wages

UNITED STATES NEWS

** A Live Oak, Texas woman  earned public scorn Saturday after hailing 911 because an ambulance  treating a critical patient was blocking her car. KENS 5 (Stacia Wilson/May 3) said the incident played out at the local Peter’s Piper Pizza parking lot. According to the news site, medics were rendering life saving treatment to a man who was in distress when the woman happened along to get her vehicle. Apparently angered that she would be late for her child’s birthday party, she attempted to budge EMS by calling emergency dispatchers to complain about her blocked vehicle. Unable to divert practitioners from saving the man’s life, the woman had to wait a sum total of about six minutes before she could begin her journey home.

CANADA NEWS

** Talks between PEI’s ambulance union and Island EMS have faltered, with the main sticking point being wages. That is the word from CBC News (May 2) which said the discussions have centered around the fact that PEI providers earn around 14-17 % less than colleagues in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Union spokesman Jason Woodbury said the 100 practitioners from his province respond to higher call volumes and render more patient care due to the distance involved in transporting patients. Currently, the top wage for medics is between $44,000 – $53,000 per year. Without a contract since September 2009, PEI EMS toilers do not have the right to strike. With this latest impasse, the next step is binding arbitration.