transportation is killing us

A scary trend continues and has been prominent to begin this year. Paramedics are getting killed simply trying to get to or returning from calls. So far this year, 4 out of 5 LODD have been related to collisions. In Canada, luckily we have not had any LODD this year but we had a serious incident that had people concerned with the preliminary reports - a helicopter crash in Northern Ontario.

This is nothing new, according to research, EMS workers (Paramedics) are nearly 5 times more likely to die in collisions than the remainder of the population. All emergency personnel face higher risks from transportation collisions.The risk to Paramedics surpasses the risk for police officers and firefighters. But why are Paramedics so much higher when it comes to transportation?

I believe that if Paramedics were truly only "ambulance drivers", our risk would be lower (maybe that of a police officer - firefighters are the lowest of the group as a large, heavy truck offers some protection during collisions). However, Paramedics are more then just "ambulance drivers" - Paramedics provide care during transport that sometimes requires to be unsecured (no seatbelt) and therefore make for easy statistics. Ambulance designers have made improvements in the patient treatment area to protect Paramedics rendering care - more padding, rounded corners instead of sharp edges, safety nets, tether systems, etc. Even with these improvements, we still see occupational deaths related to collisions.

Another reason is Paramedics are not just found in ambulances. Responding in helicopters and airplanes have become common place. Some cities have Paramedics assigned to chase cars, boats, bicycles, and motorcycles. As you can see, Paramedics are going to get to you any way they can. That may be the problem, the "gotta get there 'cause someone needs us" mentality. This drive to provide care is possibly leading us down a higher risk path. Is it something thought about when the call comes? Probably not.

All Paramedics, like all other emergency responders, are trained with a "safety first" concept. The problem is many do not consider this until they are on scene when the question should start before the ignition of the vehicle is started.

Super Bowl Winners

First and foremost, thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising effort. The support crossed professional ranks from firefighters, police officers, nurses, and doctors.

Congratulations to the following winners:

• First quarter - J. Milinkovic, Swan Lake, Mb and P. Mazur, Winnipeg
• Second quarter - J. Spence, Winnipeg and J. Klips, Winnipeg
• Third quarter - J. Spence, Winnipeg and J. Klips, Winnipeg
• Final Score - D. Janzen, Winkler, Mb and P. Sheffield, Swan Lake, Mb