Vanderhoof paramedics celebrated their 40 year anniversary on July 9, 2014 by showing off some fancy new medical technology recently installed in Vanderhoof ambulances.
Two CAREstream medical patient care monitors, which monitor vital signs of transportees, were recently added the Vanderhoof EMS's repertoire after fundraising a total of $5,700 to purchase the them.
"We're the last crew in the north to get these monitors," paramedic Karen Wiebe said. Wiebe attributes the late arrival of the monitors to having a less than permanent workforce. "We didn't have a steady crew of workers," she said. "Now we do, so I took it upon myself to ask for a hand in purchasing them and we've managed to get two."
The monitors automatically take vital sign measurements from patients, freeing up paramedics to tend to additional patient needs as well as providing more accurate readings.
Monitors can print out a vital sign reading to be given to doctors upon arrival, although the Vanderhoof detachment has yet to raise enough money to purchase the additional printers.
Vanderhoof has also recently acquired a new 900 series ambulance that is larger, runs on gasoline as opposed to diesel and is more eco-friendly.
"In the old cars we had everything kind of tucked away," paramedic Karen Wiebe said during a presentation of the new technology. "There were wires and cords on the floor. If you had a patient on a ventilator then all of those important cords were running right by your feet."
Aside from a generous spread of food, guests were treated by paramedic Denise Raymond to a blood-pressure and vital signs reading with the new equipment.
Wiebe hopes to raise enough money in the future to purchase paediatric sets to accompany the monitors.