Firefighters in Chestermere have received new training and equipment.
In late March, the city announced that the Chestermere Professional Firefighters Association (CPFA) is now training its firefighters with Basic Life Support (BLS) skills.
"In 2023, the city decided to up our level of service," said Matthew Relf, a firefighter in Chestermere who played a part in bringing the program forward. "It means that we operate to a primary care paramedic level of training."
The firefighters have now taken on several training initiatives, including high-performance CPR, a program created by Alberta Health Services (AHS).
BLS skills also incorporate cardiac monitoring, advanced airways, and intravenous therapy.
"We have about ten medications we can give on scene, and we've added some advanced trauma training and drowning emergency training that's specific to our area because we have the lake here," Relf added.
Fire engines in Chestermere are also equipped with primary care paramedic kits, which include supplies such as EpiPens that align with BLS training.
"What we wanted to do was give our citizens the ability to receive critical interventions when they need it in a timely matter," said firefighter Josh Sather. "In the past some of these BLS interventions would need to wait until an AHS unit arrives."
Relf noted that the BLS training is still an ongoing process for firefighters in Chestermere.
"In the last couple of years, we've just kept adding training and building on it while trying to get everybody up to speed," said Relf. "It feels like we're working as a team on these calls."
Sather also used the analogy "a rising tide lifts all boats" to describe how the elevated training will help the community.
"Even the members that only have a standard first aid scope, those practitioners are getting more proficient in every aspect of their job, and this has allowed us to go to calls with a greater sense of confidence, and we're able to provide the care to the people of this city which we feel they truly deserve."
The City of Chestermere also added that carboxyhemoglobin sensors are included in Chestermere fire trucks, which can help assess those who have carbon monoxide poisoning.