Courtesy a Borderpulse.ca reader
Twenty-six Medavie paramedics, including some from Lloydminster, and eight ambulances responded to the CFB Wainwright fire, the company says.
The eight ambulances came from four communities across northeast Alberta, Medavie Health Services West said in a statement. The 26 paramedics came from four communities, including Lloydminster.
Four soldiers died and dozens were hurt in the fire on Saturday, Oct. 17. The military says the cause is under investigation.
Medavie said the ambulances were dispatched in the initial response, after the incident was reported to the Alberta Provincial Emergency Call Centre. They were sent through the Alberta Provincial Dispatch System.
Crews handled the initial scene response and the hospital response, and stabilized patients, Medavie said. They transported high-acuity patients to definitive care and helped with logistics, including resource and asset management.
Acute Care Alberta said earlier that 30 emergency units, including 22 ground ambulances, went into Wainwright. The company response does not say whether its eight ambulances are part of that count.
Some Medavie staff volunteered to work on their time off to keep ambulances in local communities, the company said. Dispatch also reorganized provincial resources to cover communities whose ambulances were in Wainwright.
Medavie also helped move medical equipment. It worked with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and the City of Lloydminster to get two ventilators, seven intravenous pumps, tubing and supplies from Lloydminster Hospital.
The company said the equipment supported teams in Wainwright caring for a high number of seriously or critically injured patients.
Medavie coordinated with the STARS Link Centre to have the equipment flown from Lloydminster Airport to Wainwright. A military search-and-rescue helicopter carried it, the company said.
Crews also brought five more ventilators from communities including St. Paul, Vermilion and Two Hills.
Lloydminster Airport was mainly a staging area for air resources waiting for flights into Wainwright Airport, Medavie said.
Maria Fiala, senior communications advisor for Medavie Health Services West, said that to her knowledge no patients from the incident were taken to the airport.
Saskatchewan crews also took part, said Derek Miller, the SHA’s chief operating officer, in a statement. They included ground ambulance teams, STARS and Saskatchewan Air Ambulance.
The statement did not say how many crews or staff went, or which communities they came from.
The SHA said it prepared to receive patients in Saskatchewan. No patients were transferred there.
“We are proud of the professionalism, compassion, and teamwork demonstrated by our paramedics and allied partners, and are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to the response,” Medavie said in its statement.
Read more: Military names four soldiers killed in CFB Wainwright fire
