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Tiered Response

Tuesday, 15 July 2014 at 11:32

Woodstock's Firefighters will be responding to less medical calls than before

They are already on duty and their salary is already being paid. 

That's just one of the points Vice President and Treasurer of the Woodstock Firefighters Association Peter Keith tried to make at City Council Thursday night. 

That's in response to a proposed change to the fire department's tiered response bylaw. 

Keith says his biggest concern is with reduction in fire response to shortness of breath, chest tightness and gross bleed calls.

"Signs and symptoms of a person having a heart attack are nausea, short of breath, chest pains, so we just want to be there to start the process early, start the chain of survival as early as possible because in our business seconds count. It's not that you can wait ten minutes for the ambulance to arrive, seconds count."

Keith referenced an incident from a number of years ago when a referee had his throat slashed by a hockey skate and the fire department responded simultaneously to the call, where seconds were vital. 

Keith says he takes great issue with councillors saying the changes will save money. 

"This is a value added service to what we already do. Their focus is on prevention and education yet after normal business hours of say 8 or 9 am to 8 or 9 pm we're at the station still and we're not going to be sent out to these calls where we could be helping the public."

"I already expected the vote to go against us. Their minds were made up way back in November or whenever the consultant presented his review. I'm disappointed. I was hoping maybe they would come to the fire hall and understand what it is that we actually do."

Councillor Deb Tait was the only one to vote against the changes. 

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