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DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
Deline is now home to the world's most northernly St. John Ambulance volunteer brigade.

Christine Armstrong, right, stands with St. John Ambulance volunteers Christina Gaudet, left, Terri Smith, Const. Kirk Hughes, Betty Tetso, Wilfred Kenny and Greg Wasserman. Missing from the photo are Jason Morrisey, Aimee Crane, Helen Menacho, Barbara Naedzo, Bernadette Taniton, Manon Prystayko, Jennifer Waterhouse and honorary elder Andrew "Happy" Suzie-Cho. - photo courtesy of Christine Armstrong

Since September approximately 15 residents have been trained as advanced medical first responders, and are now ready to assist the community's nursing station within Deline and along the shores of the Great Bear Lake.

"We've never had anything like this here before," said Terri Smith, a volunteer with the group.

"The nurses are busy enough. The fact you have that extra set of hands, it helps a lot during a medical emergency."

Brigade #895, as it is now called, was first put to the test on Sept. 27, during a plane crash simulation, and again on Oct. 30, when they were called to assist the nursing station in treating and stabilizing a serious injury.

Their work was key in helping to save a life, said Christine Armstrong, director of community services for St. John Ambulance in the NWT.

"I'm so proud of them," she said.

Smith said the response from the community has been overwhelming, and the brigade is planning a second recruitment and training session for the new year.

One main reason for this, she said, is extra medical help in a community as small and remote as Deline is greatly appreciated.

The group was started by RCMP Const. Kirk Hughes, who was part of a volunteer brigade in Guelph, Ont., before he moved north.

He said when he moved to Deline in 2010 he realized that without an ambulance and without full-time emergency medical responders, there was a definite need for something like a St. John Ambulance volunteer brigade.

"That's no fault to anyone. It's just the byproduct of living in an isolated community," he said.

Many of the volunteers are doing double or triple duty by signing up for the brigade.

The community's senior administrative officer, Christina Gaudet, has completed training, as well as Wilfred Kenny, an x-ray technician and fire fighter, Greg Wasserman, an air traffic controller, and Terri Smith, who helps manage the Northern store.

Hughes said he hopes other communities can build on the success of Deline's group.

"I want other communities to look at it and say, 'Holy crap, we need that,'" he said.

Yellowknife is home to the NWT's only other St. John Ambulance volunteer brigade.

The St. John Ambulance Great Bear Lake volunteer brigade is supported by the charter community of Deline, the Dora Gully nursing station, the Deline fire department and the Deline RCMP.

St. John Ambulance provided the training, equipment and uniforms for brigade volunteers.

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