Emergency room on wheels important commodity

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There's nothing routine about living life in the fast lane when the bright lights are flashing, the sirens screaming and you're en route to help save a life.

In fact, the only thing that's predictable is the unpredictable when you're working as an EMT (emergency medical technician) on an ambulance run.

Whether it's a scoop and run service or a high tech emergency room on wheels, where the operation is to stabilize a patient, the members of the Onion Lake Ambulance Team have found that no two days are ever alike.

"And although it may sound strange," said ambulance co-ordinator Chris Harper, "ambulance workers are happiest when they're not working, because if we're working, it means people are hurting."

Harper, who has lived what he calls "this exciting, hectic lifestyle" for more than 15 years, said that a day in the life of an ambulance worker is full of highs and lows. It's a demanding schedule that calls for total immersion, on-call 24 hours a day throughout a four days on, four days off shift.

The schedule keeps everyone on their toes, relying on each other's strengths and skills to get the job done, a life in which you eat, breath and sleep emergency medical service.

"But it's not all as glorious and heart pounding as you see on television," explained Harper.

"Great teamwork also means lots of maintenance, unit checks, equipment clean-ups and real stretches of boredom in between major adrenaline rushes, waiting for the next emergency call to come in."

And forget about a good night's sleep! For some reason, most calls seem to come at night after the health centre is closed and, as a rule, all babies want to come in the middle of the night, including a surprise set of twins that Harper helped to deliver en route to hospital.

As a member of the Onion Lake Health Board who recently attended conferences at the Pima Mericopa Indian Health Center in Arizona and a national ambulance symposium in Winnipeg, Harper is very proud to be part of one of the most progressive and comprehensive Aboriginal health services in Western Canada.

Living in a rural situation (50 km from the nearest major hospital) means that the top-of-the-line communications systems used at the bases and in the vehicles can spell the difference between life and death. And that the anatomy of an ambulance must include everything from teddy bears for frightened children to bedpans for the incontinent, as well as the most sophisticated medical life-support equipment available today.

Only three reserves on the Prairies have their own 'in-house' ambulance service including Onion Lake and Muskodey in Saskatchewan and Hobbema in Alberta.

"When other reserves visit and see the whole set up here, which includes a progressive health care centre, clinics, lab, X-ray, diabetes research, rehab, family care, medical transportation and our own doctor, they are clearly amazed and impressed with what we have accomplished at Onion Lake," said Harper. "An accomplishment that brings both social and economic pride as well as a real sense of autonomy on the reserve, and helps to break the cycle of dependency on outside government help."

Taking control of their own health care services means providing an important 'internal service,' by and for Aboriginal people, one that translates into what Harper calls "growing entrepreneurial savvy, more jobs and educational opportunities and positive role models for the young people."

One of the new training programs in place is the EMR (emergency medical responder) or first responders. People are trained to work out of their homes, as well as learn to stabilize patients and take vitals and histories in the ambulance, a significant addition to a growing supportive network in the broader community.

"Just as the Elk Point and St. Walburg Ambulance Services played an important part in blazing the trail for the Onion Lake Service, we have now become part of bigger community interface, ready to serve when needed in everything from critical dsaster services to school bus rollovers," Harper said.

Back on home turf, having a comprehensive health service in place is something that makes a community grow, especially with an ever growing number of our own people coming into the field.

Young people see that there are no boundaries, and that many avenues are open in the medical field, including becoming doctors, nurses, lab and X-ray technicians, EMT and paramedics.

With the current trend of more reserves wanting to go in this direction, Onion Lake has become of a powerful role model, "as progressive as it can be," said Harper.

"And we are all very proud of that. This is an exciting time to be around."