FOR RELEASE #06-191
August 16, 2006
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PLANS TRAINING FOR NEW VOLUNTEERS
WHITEHORSE - Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers today announced that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will be training six new volunteer ambulance attendants in Teslin.
"We have successfully recruited at least six individuals willing to step forward in the community of Teslin and volunteer as ambulance attendants," Cathers said. "We are now making the arrangements to go to Teslin and provide them with the necessary training."
Basic training, consisting of Standard First Aid and CPR will be started in August. The Emergency Medical Responder course will be offered upon the successful completion of Standard First Aid.
Every rural volunteer who drives the ambulance must have a class 4 driver's licence, and rural volunteers who are attending calls must have Standard First Aid certification at a minimum. Cathers noted that the department is working to train all its volunteers to the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level. To date EMR training has been provided to 98 rural volunteers. There are currently 127 volunteers in 15 Yukon communities.
"We are committed to ensuring that we provide nationally recognized pre-hospital training to our current employees and to our volunteers," Cathers said.
The department provides Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Standard First Aid, National Academy of Professional Driving (NAPD), Emergency Medical Responder, First Responder and Intermediate Life Support training. Volunteers in the larger communities have received an additional course on Emergency Pharmacology. Volunteers are required to recertify these courses on a regular basis.
EMS requires CPR recertification annually. Intermediate Life Support requires recertification every two years. Standard First Aid, EMR and NAPD require recertification every three years.
"These volunteers are on the front lines in our rural communities and they want and need the skills to be able to respond," Cathers said.
Course fees for volunteers are covered by the government. Volunteer EMS attendants receive compensation based on training levels. Honorariums range from $18 to $25 per hour of service provided. Community supervisors also receive an honorarium.
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| Contact: | |
| Peter Carr | Pat Living, Communications |
| Cabinet Communications Advisor | Health and Social Services |
| (867) 667-8688 | (867) 667-3673 |
| peter.carr@gov.yk.ca | patricia.living@gov.yk.ca |
