On Sunday morning, a man believed to be in his 80s went into cardiac arrest in the village of Ashcroft, just west of Kamloops, according to the mayor.
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Two members of the fire rescue service heard the call and went to help. When paramedics arrived, they said there would be a wait. “The closest ambulance was in Clinton, just north of us, and had an estimated time of arrival of about 35 minutes,” said Barbara Roden, Ashcroft mayor. The mayor said an ambulance arrived nearly 30 minutes later and the man was pronounced dead. Story continues below ad The mayor said the most frustrating part for many was that there was an ambulance station near where the incident happened, with no ambulance stationed there. “Nobody expects an ambulance parked there on the road 24/7. We understand that, but it’s very scary for people to hear about these incidents,” Roden said. “They fear the services they depend on won’t be there when they need them.”
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It is unclear whether an ambulance arriving earlier would have saved the man’s life, but the paramedic association said it would have likely increased the odds. This is the second time in less than a month that an Ashcroft resident has died after waiting almost 30 minutes for medics to arrive. A woman, who suffered a heart attack, also in front of the ambulance station died on July 17.
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It was a problem seen across the province over the weekend. Story continues below ad “I’m hearing reports of half an hour to an hour for the most serious calls and obviously less serious emergencies have longer wait times,” said Troy Clifford, BC President Ambulance. The paramedics union wants to see more incentives for part-time staff to fill in for full-timers. Related News
Woman dies of heart attack in Ashcroft, BC after the ER is closed, the ambulance is not available
“We’re losing them to other professions, we’re losing them to other industries,” Clifford said. “They’re just not able to support their families with the cost of living (in these positions).”
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BC gave a comment on the situation. Emergency, late Sunday afternoon. “We dispatched immediately and sent the nearest available ambulance,” said Leanne Heppell, BCEHS’s chief paramedic. “In accordance with our protocol, we notified local firefighters in the area. Firefighters did rush to the scene and started CPR, followed a short time later by the BC Ambulance crew. “Our ambulance was available to attend this incident in 28 minutes.” BC Emergency Health Services said it will conduct an investigation into the incident. Story continues below ad 1:08 Woman dies of cardiac arrest after ambulance and ER problems in Ashcroft, BC Woman dies of cardiac arrest after ambulance and ER problems in Ashcroft, BC – July 20, 2022 Related News © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
