Huron Kinloss Council is going to go ahead and approve a tiered response agreement that would allow firefighters to respond in certain medical situations –before paramedics arrive at the scene.
Council had wanted clarification on what types of medical situations firefighters would attend to, so they met with Ripley Fire Chief Doug Martyn.
Mayor Mitch Twolan says he gave council an update on which services the fire chief is comfortable providing for taxpayers.
Twolan says severe traumatic bleeding is one of the 13 scenarios on the list, and council wanted respiratory complications added as one of the medical emergencies firefighters can attend to.
He says even if a medical situation isn’t on the list of what firefighters will look after, it doesn’t mean it will go ignored because paramedics and OPP usually get involved anyway. He says the agreement for firefighters just sets up how an emergency call is responded to by 911 dispatch in London.
The Lucknow Fire Department in Huron-Kinloss also has a joint tiered response agreement with Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh.