Jorge Barerra
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 14/01) - The North could be getting its own tailor-made first-aid program in the next two years.
According to Steve Sandahl, spokesperson for St. John Ambulance, a first-aid program specifically designed for Northern conditions is under development.
Sandahl said standard first-aid training is designed for an urban setting where help is no more than an hour away. In the North, help could take days to appear.
"It doesn't fit here," said Sandahl. "What do you do when you're on the land?"
Sandahl said the new program would focus on "long term casualty care."
Kathy Allooloo, who teaches a wilderness first-aid course in Yellowknife, said designing an Arctic first-aid course can be built from existing programs.
"There's a lot of good stuff already (in wilderness survival), we don't have to start from scratch," she said.
During a St. John Ambulance conference in Yellowknife, instructors from across the territories said they would be brain-storming over the next few months to come up with a draft version of an arctic first-aid program.
Abe Qammaniq, first-aid instructor from Hall Beach, said it has the potential to cover situations where generic first-aid falls short.
"Gunshot wounds are important, stroke and heart attack are important to know how to deal with here," he said.
Iqaluit firefighter Jeremy Hamburg said an Arctic program is needed.
"You have to know how to arrange for a medevac," said Hamburg.
Sandahl said he hoped to have a course ready by 2002.
