The effort, the time, the energy, the skill, the training, and the heart that goes into just one 911 call is immense and should not be taken lightly.
First off, it should be said that no one should ever prank 911. The dispatchers, paramedics, fire, and RCMP are a valuable service and in no way should they be treated so disrespectfully.
For the Humboldt EMS, they had 1,104 calls in 2016; 600 emergency calls and 504 facility transfers totaling 120,276 km travelled.
Since May 29 to June 3 was Paramedic Services Week, I was able to talk with Humboldt and District Ambulance’s Advanced Care Paramedic, Derek Dagenais, about what goes into emergency calls and the work paramedics do.
However, they are not alone in providing excellent care for Humboldt and area.
A motor vehicle collision on a Saskatchewan road, for example, Dagenais says they do not go to the call without assistance from the RCMP and Fire department.
There are too many possibilities of needing assistance, with things like vehicle extrication, says Dagenais, that these calls are never without extra hands on site.
Everything the paramedics do is for a reason, says Dagenais.
People are often surprised about how slow and methodical paramedics are on site. As paramedics, they are the calm ones in the situation. They never run into a situation, says Dagenais, because they themselves do not always know what they are walking into.
The best thing anyone else can do to help is to stay calm, which Dagenais knows can be extremely hard in those situations.
A paramedic’s ability to answer a call depends a lot on the information they get so when making a 911 call, the more information a person can give, the better for all the emergency crews involved.
Being a paramedic in a rural setting also comes with their own challenges that people do not consider.
Rural Saskatchewan is dotted with farms, any of which could require emergency services at anytime.
Everyone on that farm would know how to get there but would a paramedic or a firefighter be able to find it? Would everyone on that farm be able to give understandable directions if they had to?
Dagenais says that, that is something everyone should think of as part of their emergency plan.
Coming upon a motor vehicle accident or calling 911 for a loved one can be a difficult experience but working together with EMS is the first step in making sure everyone gets the care they need.
