A North Queens Fire Department pumping water. Photo: Facebook.
Firefighters in North Queens will now be dispatched to medical emergencies when requested by 911 callers, following concerns raised by the local fire department.
Fire Chief Chris Wolf says the change comes after a public meeting on March 3, where residents and officials discussed issues with firefighters not being called to medical incidents they could assist with. Wolf had previously said his department was being classified as “non-urgent” by Emergency Health Services (EHS) and was missing calls they should have been responding to.
Now, if a caller requests the fire department’s assistance during a medical emergency, they will be paged regardless of the circumstances.
In addition to this change, Wolf and other representatives will visit the EHS communications center in Halifax to discuss how medical first responder agencies are categorized and dispatched. They will also take part in a pilot project aimed at improving response protocols. If successful, the project could be implemented across Nova Scotia.
