City Lights News
Highlights and Events November 1994

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Deadlines event publication: Printed Edition before the 15th of every month and Electronic Edition before the 20th of every month. Information & publication of events: Stephen Serenelli tel./fax (306) 922-1831 or E-mail to City Lights BBS (306) 763-1777 or Internet E-mail or write to: 978-2nd Street East, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan S6V 0G4 Canada

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CARING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

It is 40 degrees below zero, with windchill, closer to 56 degrees. A typical January night in Prince Albert, quiet and still. The crackle of the two-way radio breaks the silence. Someone has dialled 911 and the police dispatcher is on the air. At Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd. everyone is ready. The paramedics, emergency medical technicians and vehicle operators quickly take down the information, assess the number of staff, how many ambulances and the type of equipment needed, and in a matter of minutes, they are on their way. Another real life drama has begun in our community. But it wasn't always like this. The first ambulances were horse-drawn wagons used by the Spaniards in 1487, to carry wounded soldiers off the battlefields of Malaga. The armies of most nations have been using ambulances ever since, and in World War II, airplanes and helicopters served as emergency transport for wounded soldiers.

The first civilian ambulance service began in 1869, when New York's Bellevue Hospital began transporting patients to the hospital for emergency treatment. Until around 1970, the ambulances were small, ill-equipped, and ambulance personnel were trained only in basic first aid procedures. Today, early treatment saves lives and modern ambulances are well equipped with normal items such as bandages and oxygen, but they also have advanced equipment such as monitors and a number of medications. Ambulances are staffed by paramedics and emergency medical technicians, qualified to administer emergency treatment and medications while professional emergency vehicle operators provide quick yet safe transportation to hospital.

In 1974, Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd. was formed in Prince Albert by Mike, Wayne and Barry Dutchak. Starting with two ambulances and two employees, the company now has 35 full and part-time staff and 6 fully equipped ambulances, including the Airmax (an ultramodern ambulance made in Saskatchewan).

All Parkland personnel are certified paramedics, emergency medical technicians or emergency vehicle operators. A staff of 8 to 10 are present or on 24 hour call every day of the year. But Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd. is not just an emergency service, it is a caring community service organization. More than 900 hours a year are dedicated to volunteer service at holiday celebrations, parades, sporting events or community fund-raisers. Medic Rabbit - a popular visitor at elementary schools and daycares - teaches children about safety and the proper use of the 911 emergency number, which, by the way, was established when Parkland Ambulance, spearheading the community fund drive, helped to raise the $125,000.00 needed to start this service.

Parkland volunteers participate in fund-raising events for local health organizations and deliver hot meals to shut-ins. Training, education programs and Career Day presentations, are also part of their busy schedule. Parkland's bicycle first aid patrol is seen in the summer months and each fall, an ambulance becomes a paddy wagon for the Cancer Society's "Jail-N-Bail" campaign.

This year, Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd. is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Prince Albert. Happy Birthday from all of us and many more to come!

Service Clubs and Associations:

Canadian Cancer Society

The Prince Albert Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society has been waging the war against Cancer in our community for more than 40 years. In Saskatchewan since 1938, volunteers armed with informative material on cancer research, cures and prevention have been fighting cancer with education. Trained volunteers have joined the Patient Services Program (a support network for cancer patients and their families) while others are committed fundraisers. The 6th annual Jail-N-Bail will be held in Gateway Mall on NOVEMBER 2 & 3. When 10 desperados ambush you with their pledge sheets, defend yourself with a quick draw of your wallet. Guess the "Mystery Jailbird" and you can win a phone. Anyone can call to have a relative or friend arrested. They'll be freed after they've paid their dues. For arrests or for more information about the Cancer Society, contact Laurie Dent 764-4808.

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