Richmond requests emergency supplies

Cariboo Regional District chair Al Richmond was in Victoria on Feb. 4 for a meeting with provincial emergency health authorities, regarding the need and process for replacement of first responder supplies. Richmond says he went to ask and arrange for the British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS) to replace some of the items used by the region's volunteer fire departments’ first responders. "We had a really good meeting with the people from the Emergency Health Services Commission (EHSC) and the BCAS, and they tell me they'll have some answers for us within two to three weeks as to how they'll deal with those consumables." He notes the EHSC is the governing authority for the BCAS. Everyone present at the meeting agreed that inequities exist within the province, where some communities are getting more or different supplies than others, Richmond adds. "They recognize it needs to be the same, and they need to replace the material the fire departments are using for BCAS patients."