Thursday, July 12, 2007
** EMS crisis in Yukon escalating?
** Warning might have saved BC Ambulance workers, consultant says
** Maine medic still recovering after fatal ambulance crash
** Queensland ambulance officers at breaking point with work hours
CANADA NEWS
** The ambulance volunteer crisis in the Yukon could be escalating, with sources saying workers in Dawson City are also intending to walk off the job. The resignations could compound an already tense situation in which all Watson Lake paramedics quit last week. The CBC (July 12) quoted Association of Yukon Communities president Doug Graham as saying problems in EMS are not new, with burnout the predominating complaint. Medics have been campaigning to be hired as full time government employees. Graham said a formal resoluation to that effect was delivered to Health Minister Brad Cathers back in May.
** The last man to see two BC Ambulance paramedics alive before they died inside an oxygen deprived shed said he failed to fully apprise them of the situation they were entering into. The Globe and Mail (Armin Ligaya/July 11) quoted mine consultant David Van Dieren as saying he issued no caution about the Sullivan mine building’s air because he did not believe it was dangerous. Van Dieren made his comments while testifying at the coroner’s inquest into the deaths of medics Kim Weitzel and Shawn Currier. Weitzel and Currier died May 17, 2006 after being called to treat what they believed was an outdoor drowning. Two other people perished at the site. Called to escort the medics to the indoor drowning pool, Van Dieren said people were in and out of the shack all the time with no ill effects. The inquest is expected to continue until next Friday.
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Bethel, Maine EMT continues to recover in hospital, after last Thursday’s ambulance crash that killed paramedic Alan Parsons. The Morning Sentinel (July 11) said Arlene Greenleaf, 68, is currently listed in fair condition in Lewiston’s Central Maine Medical Center. Greenleaf was behind the wheel of the unit July 5 when a truck smashed into the rig in Turner. Police are uncertain what caused the mishap. Blood alcohol test results on all drivers are pending.
AUSTRALIA NEWS
** Queensland ambulance officers have apparently reached the breaking point with a controversial rostering system that they say has left them excessively fatigued and fearing for their marriages. The Courier Mail (Greg Stoltz/July 11) said practitioners are calling on incoming Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts to scrap the schedule which places them on 10 hour work days. The previous approach saw EMS toilers log two 10-hour days and two 14-hour days, with four off following. Emergency Medical Service Protection Association president Prebs Sathiaseelan said providers must work extra days to get their full hours complement in, with overtime a frequent occurrence.
