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EFR_Defib_Equipped

Feature Article January 8

Feature Article January 8, 2003

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Fire Department goes EFR, defib equippedby Will Cybulski

Plevna After a busy year of preparations, North Frontenacs Fire Department can now boast of Emergency First Response-Defib capabilities. This past January, members of the Clarendon Miller Fire Station at Plevna started building their expertise with First Aid training, then followed that with Emergency First Response courses during February and March. The final stint of training was completed recently, when those same members were certified to operate the Departments latest acquisition, a defibrillator.

But it was not an idle time between spring and fall, as money had to be raised to fund the venture. First off, the vehicle to be used for EFR (a decommissioned ambulance acquired by the Township) had to be retrofitted with equipment, repainted and mechanically refurbished, and then the defib unit had to be purchased.

The challenge of coming up with the necessary $15,000 was met by both the Departments Ladies Auxiliary and the firefighters themselves. The Auxiliary caters at anniversary and birthday celebrations, showers, and funerals, while the members run bars at various functions. Winterfest and Summerfest, two popular annual events in the Plevna area, provide an opportunity for members and the Auxiliary to build their kitty, albeit, with a great deal of hard work.

Two untimely deaths led to memorial donations towards the EFR fund, one being that of Jeff Tooley, who passed away in August. Jeff, who was well known for his service in many areas within the community, was an active Captain, and had previously been Deputy Chief and Chief of the Department. Also, following the death of Roger Burnet, who was a summer resident of Grindstone Lake, his family directed that donations in his name be made to the EFR fund. Unfortunately, Roger passed away, despite attempts to save his life using a defibrillator.EFR_Defib_Equipped

We live in a rural area where the distance involving medical emergencies will always be a concern. North Frontenac is fortunate in having its Parham-based roving emergency unit that attends and stabilizes victims while a paramedic ambulance travels in from outside. The Fire Departments EFR-Defib unit will now add to the confidence levels of residents and visitor alike. Cor Bakelaar, Deputy Chief for the Department, said, You have to consider our isolated area, our aging population, and some of the types of incidents we deal with snowmobile and four wheeler accidents. They are often severe and difficult to access. As part of the emergency tri-level dispatch system (police, ambulance and fire department), the EFR unit will likely be first on-scene on many occasions because it is centrally based at Plevna. We now have the expertise, Deputy Bakelaar said, to render first aid, administer oxygen, treat wounds and move patients where necessary. Research in the U.S. indicates that a defibrillator is the most appropriate emergency treatment for sudden cardiac arrest, which causes up to 450,000 American deaths each year. SCA occurs when there is an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation. When in this state, the heart cannot beat in a co-ordinated fashion, and blood does not circulate to the heart or brain. The pulse, and then breathing, stops, the victim loses consciousness, collapses and appears lifeless. During ventricular fibrillation, electrical energy is present in the heart, but it is chaotic. If shocked quickly with defibrillation, normal rhythm may be restored. Less than 5 % of SCA victims in the United States survive because so many communities have not developed strategies to ensure that a defibrillator reaches victims as soon as possible. It would appear that, thanks to the hard work of our Fire Department and its supporters, we do have just such a strategy underway here in North Frontenac.

With the participation of the Government of Canada