The president of Big White Ski Resort is calling on BC Ambulance Emergency Services to provide full-time service to the mountain.
Currently, there is an ambulance only on weekends and holidays.
鈥淲e have been negotiating and talking and begging, I have been listening to BC Ambulance Service for years, and as we grow our ski business so do (the number of) accidents. We are a tremendous supplier of patients to 91大黄鸭 General Hospital and ambulances,鈥� said Michael J. Ballingall.
On a busy night, there can be approximately 16,000 people sleeping on the mountain, not including day visitors. There can be up to 22,000 people on the mountain on a busy day, Ballingall said.
Those people all deserve proper service.
鈥淲hen an ambulance is called it鈥檚 an emotional issue, it鈥檚 kids with their parents or it involves catastrophic pain, broken femurs and ribs. It鈥檚 trauma,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are really not looking after the tourists, residents or the visiting residents.鈥�
If there is an injury on the mountain the ski patrol manages the incident.
It is a 57-minute drive to get from Big White to 91大黄鸭 General Hospital and Big White Fire Rescue is looking to reduce that trip time by proposing a transport agreement to BC Ambulance Service. The agreement would allow firefighters to transport patients to a predetermined location before transferring them to an ambulance to get to the hospital.
鈥淲e have no interest to take over the ambulance service. Our only interest is to help patients in our care while they are waiting for ambulance,鈥� said Big White chief fire officer, Jamie Svendsen.
Out of his 36 member crew, more than 16 have completed their Emergency Medical Responder training which Svendsen said allows them to treat several different kinds injuries including musculoskeletal injuries, head and spinal injuries, shock and pregnancy, labour and delivery.
READ ALSO: Big White looks to top 2018
Svendsen said the majority of calls they receive are medical calls and motor vehicle accidents. In 2018 they responded to 125 medical calls and 37 motor vehicle accidents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a bit of a challenge, they are doing what they can. But if call volumes up here don鈥檛 warrant a full-time ambulance, and that ambulance can be saving lives in another community instead of hanging around up here waiting for calls to come in, it鈥檚 a better use of resources,鈥� said Svendsen.
鈥淲e are covering it and providing the service to our community, and we are more stressed but it鈥檚 part of our job鈥� we just want to offer quality care for our guests and staff here at Big White.鈥�
READ ALSO: 91大黄鸭 snowboarder being mourned at Big White
An ambulance is stationed at Big White Ski Resort Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and on holidays as well as when the BC Emergency Health Services predicts there will be a particularly busy day on the mountain.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dynamic system, they don鈥檛 sit in one place if its resources are needed near by in the 91大黄鸭 Kamloops area. If need be it will be diverted,鈥� said communications officer at BCEHS, Fatima Siddiqui.
In the tail-end of the 2017 season, from January to April the ambulance responded to 157 calls, 101 of which required transportation.
During the beginning of the 2018 season from November to December, the ambulance responded to 60 calls, 22 of which required transportation.
Only two air evacs, an air ambulance service, were recorded from Big White in 2018.
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