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It’s that time of year: 911 calls spike around Christmas.
It’s very stressful for a patient, and their family if they don’t know what to expect when an ambulance arrives. Niagara paramedic Rob Law explains when emergency medical services arrive at a 911 call, they may look different than you’d expect: “Some people might be scared seeing us come in in the gear, but we need to do these things to make sure that we’re safe so we can take care of the patient properly and safely.”
If you have an infection, like the flu, first responders will be outfitted with a plastic gown, goggles and a face mask. Law says it can be an intimidating getup: “You try and be as friendly as you can. These people are in a true emergency and you want to make them feel comfortable. So you go in, shake a hand, check a pulse, make eye contact with people.”
What happens next depends on the situation. Typically, you’ll be hooked up to a heart rate monitor with a finger clip.
You may need some oxygen to help with your breathing, so paramedics will secure a tube under your nose. Then you’ll be loaded onto a stretcher, and tucked in for a safe journey to the hospital by ambulance.
In rare cases, paramedics will put on a full body jumpsuit before entering a home. Don’t be alarmed: it is used to protect against Ebola, but in most cases it protects paramedics against at home chemotherapy.
As training superintendent Dean Casement explains, “the medication itself is inside them and it does go into all of their bodily fluids.”
Harmful chemotherapy chemicals can be transferred through a patient’s vomit or saliva. During emergencies, paramedics want to protect you, and themselves. But they’d rather avoid a visit if possible, so take care.
“Be careful. Enjoy the holidays. Be safe.”
