FORT NELSON, B.C. – Fort Nelson mayor Gary Foster wrote a letter to BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) regarding their ad hoc air ambulance services.
The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality recently learned that BCEHS would not be utilizing a local ad hoc service provider, given Fort Nelson paramedics have not been provided with the required training.
Initially, the mayor and the Regional Council were pleased to hear about the services coming to Fort Nelson, as they have been advocating for a local service to transfer patients out of the area and return to Fort Nelson, cutting back on response times.
Villers Air successfully acquired a King Air C90 to meet requirements associated with being an ad hoc air ambulance operator with BCEHS and then entering into an ad hoc service agreement with BCEHS.
The next step, the training, needs to come from BCEHS.
Foster explains in the letter that Villers Air have tried to get their paramedics the training required.
“Villers Air has been in touch with BCEHS’ Patient Care Delivery team, receiving a response that neither assured priority nor likelihood that the training would soon be offered to Fort Nelson paramedics.”
He closes the letter by requesting the BCEHS prioritize the primary care paramedic flight training for the Fort Nelson paramedics so they can adequately utilize the ad hoc air ambulance service.
Foster would also like assurance that BCEHS will utilize the service at every viable opportunity.
Finally, he requests they speak directly with the regional council
“We request that you communicate plans to mitigate these, or any other considerations limiting BCEHS’ use of the local ad hoc air ambulance service provider, and would invite you to speak with regional council directly to do so.”