The APL Advisor
BREE BABIONE, EMT-A, ON LOCATION AT THE HARMON VALLEY RODEO
AUG|SEPT 2016
IN THIS NEWSLETTER hhNEMT hhSPECIAL EVENTS hhFORT MCMURRAY FIRE hhPHOTO CONTEST
183
BY THE NUMBERS: FORT McMURRAY FIRES number of people evacuated by APL
89
number of escorts and medical staff evacuated by APL
number of patients evacuated by APL
number of hours it took APL to help relocate individuals to a safer environment
27
94
48
number of APL staff on the ground
number of one way trips made by air by APL
15
TO THE APL TEAM
APL PEER RECOGNITION
P
lease join us in congratulating Erin Vernooy, a ground EMT in Edmonton, as the most recent recipient of the APL Peer Recognition Award!
Erin was nominated and chosen because she always puts in 110 percent--no matter what task she is given or which division she is in! She has been a committed and dedicated APL employee for two years. The fact she always offers to lend a helping hand does not go unnoticed. We are so proud to have Erin as a part of our team. Thank you Erin for everything you do!
Kelsey Leighton, Edmonton, EMT-P Jason McCrea, Edmonton, EMT-A Quinn Howell-Brown, Industrial, EMT-A Bryan Mills, Edmonton, EMT-P Rosalie Hallee, Edmonton, EMT-A Laura Jones, Industrial, Nurse Collin Johnson, Industrial, Summer Student Tina King, Industrial, EMR Daniel Garth, Edmonton, EMT-A Joshua Stelmaschuk, Industrial, EMT-A
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KUDOS CORNER
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
I
am very pleased to be able to write a few words in our refounded newsletter this month. As you may be aware, we have replaced our marketing coordinator position with a contract marketing team led by Tormaigh Van Slyke from VAULTmedia, based in Peace River. You may be familiar with his quarterly magazine called Move Up, which APL has been supporting since early after its inception. Please join me in welcoming Tormaigh, Alana and his team to APL. This summer marks a new milestone for APL in regards to our Non-Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT) van service. One of APL’s core values is “Innovation” and this service certainly speaks to that. The experience of setting up this service was certainly not easy during the difficult economic times we all face; however, we continue to push forward as we understand the need for such a service. Our new NEMT van service, led by Pam Clendenning, is much more than another form of transportation. This service fills a much needed gap for our most vulnerable citizens including seniors, special needs and anyone suffering from physical challenges. Our NEMT service will improve the quality of life for our clients and their families through accompaniment, companionship and
STEPHEN WOODBURN
personal “through door” transportation services. Although it remains to be a slow and challenging startup, Pam is doing a great job in promoting APL and this new service. In light of the challenging industrial environment (the new normal), we have chosen to shift our corporate strategy and focus primarily on our existing long-term contracts including Air Ambulance & Patient Transport (PR & Edm), high-quality and longterm industrial projects, special event medical standby work, and our new NEMT program. Our oil and gas opportunities remain to be limited and of much tighter margins; therefore, we are shifting our focus to more profitable and long-term projects. This does not mean we are moving away from doing any oil and gas projects; however, it does mean we will become more conditional on the work we consider with the goal of being more recognized as the highquality service provider that we are. I hope you all are enjoying some well-deserved time with your family and friends this summer. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to drop me a message at stephen@advancedparamedic.com Stay safe…
Administrative Assistant RockStar, Samantha Snyder plans to crush one of her personal goals: completing the Berg Lake Hike this September 6th to 10th. It’s a 44km trek that will bring her to an elevation of 5,385 feet, and she hopes to do it in just 4 days. SUBMIT A GOAL YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO CRUSHING TO BE FEATURED PR@ADVANCEDPARAMEDIC.COM
I Photo Contest Send us a picture(s) demontrating APL’s values in a creative way for your chance to win a Peace River Staycation ($300 value)! OUR VALUES 99 COMPASSION 99 COMMUNITY 99 INTEGRITY
99 PROFESSIONALISM 99 INNOVATION
SEND YOUR PICS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1 TO PR@ADVANCEDPARAMEDIC.COM PRIZE DETAILS AT MIGHTYPEACE.COM
APL INTRODUCES NEMT
but we are happy to say through our cost savings initiatives and innovative thinking we are working our way through these times. One such innovation we would like to highlight is our new Non-Emergent Medical Transport (NEMT) service we’ve started in Peace River. Our NEMT program is designed to assist people who do not have the necessary means to travel comfortably, and do not require an ambulance, to attend things such as medical appointments and family. We even assist with daily living activities such as grocery shopping.
UPDATE FROM APL’S
Operations Manager
W
ell it’s summer! During this time of year, we look for that much needed break we have been working hard for all year. I hope each of you takes the time to rest and relax and get recharged. I’d like to thank all our supervisors for the hard work you put into each of your schedules and for the attention taken in coordinating and sharing of our respective staff. You have done a good job in accommodating everyone’s needs while maintaining a fluid schedule. As you all know, with the downturn in the oil and gas industry, we here at APL have seen some difficult times,
NEIL TKACH
This much needed service has been lacking in the Peace River area, and with the recent purchase of a van that allows for wheelchair with-a-lower-ground access, we are better able to serve our senior and disabled community. Pam has taken the reigns of this project and has spent countless hours showcasing our new van to seniors’ groups and community leaders as well as seeking support and funding/subsidy opportunities in the effort to make this valuable asset cost efficient and affordable. Pam’s great outlook and positive attitude make her the perfect companion to accompany our new clients and to create new opportunities as well. Great work Pam! We look to you and applaud your continued efforts while we grow this new venture.
UPDATE FROM APL’S
Industrial Supervisor
I
am so very pleased to announce our Non-Emergent Medical Transport service is up and running. APL has purchased a brand new 2016 Caravan with wheelchair accessibility to help seniors and those with disabilities get to their medical appointments. So far, we have been asked to do local transports to hospitals and clinics as well as longer distance trips to Grande Prairie. I am currently the only driver; however, as we get more calls and ramp up I will be looking for casual drivers to fill in when I am unable to. This is one of the most rewarding services I have been a part of. The people we have helped are so grateful to get to their appointment safely and without having to get out of their wheelchair. I have high hopes for this program and cannot wait to see what the future holds.
PAM CLENDINNING
SPECIAL EVENTS: HOW THEY PAY IN UNEXPECTED WAYS
BG
ree Babione juggles three jobs and APL has been one of them for the past year. Babione also had a brief stint in 2010 when she worked for APL in the industrial (oilfield) division as an EMR. After which, she moved to Saskatchewan and earned her EMT-A. When she came back to the region and found herself a job with Alberta Health Services, she inquired about APL’s accommodations. “Then I got back into it. The biggest reason was probably the scope of services they provide,” said Babione. Babione works a number of APL’s Special Event contracts. “I love working for the Special Events because I get to meet people and form relationships with people. These experiences have actually opened my eyes and changed my outlook. I did the Pow Wow this summer and I was never really exposed to the native culture
in that way. It changed me— seeing the positive influence they have on the youth and the impact they have all around. I even took part in some of the ceremonies with the smudging and the drums,” said Babione. In the later summer months, Babione has worked a number of rodeos. Most recent to this interview was the Harmon Valley Rodeo. “I love Harmon Valley. They’re always so welcoming to us. I’ve done their events two years in a row now. I have a relationship with the contractors and the athletes and the organizers. Once you build that trust with the people, it’s a bond. Some of them may act “cowboy tough,” and they are, but once the trust is built they open up and come to you—even for the little things,” said Babione. Babione tells a story about one such cowboy-tough kid who competed at the High Prairie Rodeo last year. Due to his injuries, he had to be
taken away in an ambulance. This year at the Harmon Valley Rodeo he got kicked by a steer and needed to be checked out. “He remembered me and he trusted me. I also knew him and knew his constitution so I knew he was okay this time with a shoulder injury,” said Babione. “It’s a truly fantastic relationship you have with them, and it’s about understanding the rodeo community and how it operates as well. They may be tough, but you need to give them an honest assessment, and you’re there for them,” said Babione.
there’s a way to offer a package for the season,” said Babione. Babione looks back and realizes working Special Events is what absorbed her into the community. She has built bonds with people and in some cases visited them in the hospital on her own time and gotten to know their families. “It’s hugely rewarding. They might not be blood, but they’re still family, and getting invited into that is pretty huge,” said Babione.
Babione appreciates the fact APL is able to get some of the same rodeo contracts year after year, again because she believes building trust with the organizers and the athletes is crucial.
When asked how working Special Events compares to the Industrial sector, Babione reinforces how much she appreciates APL’s diversity and how working Special Events has helped integrate her into the Peace Country community.
“I don’t know how the whole process works, but I think there’s room to expand within the rodeo circuit. We should do all the rodeos because trust is important. Perhaps
“There’s nothing like it. It’s a totally different ball game from industrial. It’s its own world. As much as I look after them, they look after me,” said Babione.
A A
FORT MCMURRAY FIRES
A first-person account by Erin Vernooy
bove is a picture taken while flying over Fort McMurray during this summer’s forest fire. We were heading pretty much straight north, following Hwy. 63. Crazy-scary smoke and flames were very visible from 15,000 ft. It was pretty neat to see a WestJet plane, a King Air, the 1900, another King Air and a Twin Otter all beside each other, with the Suncor jets and Dash 8 just around the corner. When Peter and I got there, the treatment/ICU area was already setup. Turns out the staff at Northern Lights Regional Health Centre (NLRHC) packed up their emergency department and threw whatever they could fit into some plastic boxes and maybe a truck or two. The supplies were a mess, so I helped the RNs organize, sort, count and arrange things so it looked better and was more efficient (pictured above). When we got there, we were plane number four in line for patients, so three or four patients were triaged/assessed and loaded onto the planes for the flight down to Edmonton. If possible, they
also tried to take some random evacuees or family members on the same flights. We ended up timing out and coming back to Edmonton empty. We brought up four Associated Ambulance staff to relieve the staff that were there. They had an ALS and an BLS ambulance onsite, and they were handling first contact emergency response and transport into the Firebag site. One of their operations managers was sort of running incident command/ patient management at the shed. Things kind of slowed down between 1am and 4am, so everyone was able to lay down and get at least an hour or two of “sleep.” I slept like a rock, LOL (the pic is of Sam, one of the pilots). Peter took over for the incident command guy for a couple hours so he could go back to camp and sleep as well. One of the things I will remember out of all of this is even though everyone involved was tired, whether they were in Edmonton or the people working in Firebag, and no one was working where they normally do (they surely don’t train RNs to work out of dusty machine
shops), everyone still had a smile and everyone made it work. Things would go from being quiet to crazy busy in a matter of seconds, but no one up there had any egos and it really was a team effort. Everyone was looking out for each other and all you had to do was ask once and something heavy got moved or something you needed was found, delivered and set up. Someone commented that the difference between first responders (police, fire, EMS) and the rest of the population is the direction they travel when s*** hits the fan. I agree with that...to a point. The majority of Albertans have proven that even though they’re not on the front lines running toward danger or tragedy, they are ready to support the guys and gals on the front lines, and they’re ready to help anyone coming out of the situation. I know that’s a bit reflective and “too much in my head,” but after experiencing something like this the way I did, I can’t help but feel thankful and proud and humble and strong and small.
HEALTH AND SAFETY CHECKUP
O
Be Mindful As Suicide Rates Rise
H
ealth and Safety Coordinator Joanne Dube would like draw everyone’s attention to a sobering fact about today’s current local landscape: suicide and suicide attempts.
of their emergency vehicles, suicide rates in Alberta are on the rise.
In addition to the closeto-home experiences APL Ground Ambulance staff have had recently involving individuals attempting suicide by jumping in front
According to Global News, the City of St. Albert were dealing with an average of one suicide attempt every day in the first quarter of 2016. Founding Director of Rivers
In 2014, there were 531 suicide deaths in Alberta. In 2015, there were 547.
Edge Counselling Centre in St. Albert, Nicole Imgrund, cited insufficient coping mechanisms and a lack of high-quality relationships and support as contributors to the increase and named unemployment as a major stressor affecting people’s mental health and wellness. APL would like to address this matter by encouraging our medical staff to be
AUGUST 2016 SUN
prepared for, and alerted to, suicide attempts or signs of suicide. See your DATS app. for the Global News article and to see the video. If you think you or someone you know are in need of immediate counselling or support, please contact the 24 hour Distress Line at 780-482-HELP (4357).
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AUGUST
AUGUST
20 | PEACE RIVER, MOTOCROSS | TIME TBD | TINA & BREE
28 | HARMON VALLEY, HIGH SCHOOL RODEO | TIME TBD (6H) | BREE
21 | PEACE RIVER, MOTOCROSS | TIME TBD | TINA & BREE
SEPTEMBER
24 | CLARKE STADIUM, FC EDMONTON | 1-4 PM | EMR, QUINN
11 | CLARKE STADIUM, FC EDMONTON | 1-4 PM | EMR, QUINN
27 | HARMON VALLEY, HIGH SCHOOL RODEO | TIME TBD (9H) | BREE
14 | CLARKE STADIUM, FC EDMONTON | 6-9 PM | EMR, QUINN
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HAVE SOME FUN TOGETHER The Social Society Committee is planning a mini golf game after work in the near future, if the weather is nice. In early October, we are going to do a movie night! Get in touch with Amy Wald at the office for details.
THE NEXT NEWSLETTER IS SCHEDULED FOR MID-OCTOBER, 2016 IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS/SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT NEWSLETTER, PLEASE SEND THEM TO PR@ADVANCEDPARAMEDIC.COM BY OCTOBER 1, 2016.