Firefighters get H1N1 calls
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Updated: October 30, 2009 8:58 AM
Medical calls typically account for the majority of calls to which firefighters respond.
But Langley City fire department’s call volume has spiked as a result of the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Assistant fire chief Pete Methot said that out of Wednesday’s total responses, 40 per cent were related to the swine flu.
Chest pain is an indicator of a severe case of the virus, and Methot said that firefighters have been instructed that when they respond to a medical emergency involving chest pain, they must wear full protective gear. This includes goggles, masks, gloves and gowns.
“We have spent an extensive amount of time and training preparing for this,” Methot said,
In the meantime, Langley Memorial Hospital’s emergency ward was said to have been swamped on Wednesday, but Fraser Health Authority spokesman Joan Marshall was unable to provide precise figures.
Emergency units in the area’s 12 hospitals “have been experiencing an increase in volume over the past few weeks,” Marshall said.
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