Emergency personnel at the Preeceville Ambulance hosted an appreciation day to provide reassurance to the public that no matter the time or scenario, emergency staff are always on hand.
The appreciation day featured the serving of barbecued hotdogs, information on bicycle and winter driving safety and other related safety information. The proceeds from the donations collected during the day were donated to the Preeceville Nursery School.
There are two ambulances based in Preeceville, with one in Canora.
“Despite the long hours we put in and being short staffed, we continue to provide professional dedicated service to the public,” said Mark Bourassa, co-manager of the base.
“We will be running one acute care paramedic every day during this doctor shortage we are facing in Preeceville,” Bourassa said. “We are a quick fix to stabilize the patient but we are not the solution to the problem. We still need a doctor to continue with the care.
“No matter what, we want to reassure the public that we will pull resources as required to continue providing 24-hour service.”
Medical personnel at the Preeceville base include: Mark Bourassa, Carla Steciuk and Alynn Meberg, who are all fully qualified as ACPs (Advanced Care Paramedics), Eric Drader,
Rojin Karickal-Roy, Jordan Taylor, Jason Wardle, George Kidder and Sherry Dodge, as PCPs (Primary Care Paramedics). Jane Gulka is the office manager.
EMS is firmly established as an essential public function and a vital component of the medical care continuum, he said. On any given day, EMS practitioners help save lives by responding to medical emergencies, including heart attack, difficulty breathing, a fall or accident, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdose or acute illness. EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of an emergency and en route to a hospital. EMS practitioners care for their patients’ medical needs and show caring and compassion to their patients in their most difficult moments.
