Emergency Services

Shift work to end for Huntingdon paramedics

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The era of on-call shift work for Huntingdon paramedics has come to an end.

The provincial government announced in May that $2,292,696 in additional funding will be made available to strengthen ambulance coverage and pre-hospital emergency services in the Montérégie region.

The improvements to ambulance services will include the conversion of 8,760 hours of on-call shift work to scheduled 24-hour service, seven days a week, in Huntingdon. This measure will also add 2,281 hours of service in the Sorel area, as well as 2,920 hours in Granby, and 1,044 hours in Cowansville.

Huntingdon paramedics, who are currently expected to be on call 24 hours a day for seven consecutive days, have long been asking for set hourly schedules. Huntingdon paramedics serve the town as well as the western territory of the Haut-Saint-Laurent including Godmanchester, Hinchinbrooke, Elgin, Sainte-Barbe, Saint-Anicet and Dundee. They have argued that the current shift system places residents at risk of longer wait times or delays for ambulance services.

On-call work, which was introduced as a temporary solution in the 1980s, was previously abolished for all Montérégie posts except for Huntingdon. According to the provincial government, the change to regular schedules will take place this year.

“This improvement in pre-hospital emergency services in Quebec’s regions demonstrates that we are continuing to invest heavily to enhance these services where significant needs have been identified,” said Health Minister Christian Dubé. “We are ensuring that we optimize the services provided to make them even more efficient and accessible in a shorter timeframe,” he added, before insisting the government prioritizes Quebecers having the best possible ambulance coverage, regardless of where they live.

The ambulance coverage assessment process, implemented in June 2022, is based on a neutral and annualized approach which allows the government to respond equitably to different population needs. Based on ministerial guidelines for ambulance service, the process serves as a framework for regional institutions to analyze their current coverage and evaluate any requests for schedule changes or additional hours of service, to ensure staffing and resources meet the needs of the population.

Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette said she was pleased that better ambulance coverage will be implemented in certain parts of the region, and particularly in the Huntingdon area. “These adjustments will improve service accessibility and reduce response times for users,” she said, while pointing out that the elimination of shift schedules will also make it easier to attract more paramedics to the region.

Boy is saved from drowning in Huntingdon

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gleaner / July 29, 2024 / Emergency Services, Sarah Rennie, The Gleaner

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Three trained firefighters rescued a boy caught in dangerous waters on the Chateauguay River in Huntingdon on July 11.

Remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which passed over the region the day before, saw just under 40 millimetres of torrential rain cause the normally tranquil river to rise by several feet. The following afternoon, a 10-year-old boy was playing by the river with three other unaccompanied children when he was suddenly swept away by the fast-moving current shortly after 4 p.m.

Godmanchester resident and retired firefighter Jon Vine was driving past Russell Island in Huntingdon on his way to the Vallée des Travailleurs garage where he works. He says it was by coincidence that he rolled down the window just in time to hear the boy’s cries for help. The three friends met him as he pulled onto the island, gesturing frantically toward the river.

Vine immediately called Johanne Myre at the garage and asked her to send help, and to call 911. When he reached the riverbank, he found the boy desperately clinging to a thin tree branch over the water about 20 feet from shore. “The water was rushing like crazy,” he says.

Steve Myatt and Brandon Gavin soon arrived from the garage. After a quick search, the men found nothing more than a cow halter and some transport straps in the vehicle and quickly came up with a plan.

Wearing the cow halter around his chest, Myatt waded into the water, which quickly reached up to his neck, and approached the boy. Vine and Gavin used the straps to hold him against the current. Myatt eventually wrapped a strap around the boy’s arm, which allowed Vine and Gavin to quickly tow him to shore.

At this point, first responders from Hinchinbrooke and the Huntingdon Fire Department were on scene, and they helped to safely pull the boy and the three men from the water. Huntingdon fire chief Marc Voyer confirmed that the minor, who cannot be identified, was unharmed during the rescue. The Sûreté du Québec was called, and the responding officers contacted the child’s parents.

“Those guys did an amazing job,” says Voyer, of the quick thinking and action by Vine, Myatt, and Gavin. “It was very, very dangerous,” he insists, referring to the treacherous water conditions that day. “They put their lives on the line.”

While looking out over the river the following day, Vine says he still gets shivers just thinking about the rescue. “We could be talking about something else today,” he says solemnly. “All the cards were there,” he says, referring to the series of fortunate coincidences that ultimately saved the boy’s life.

Both Vine and Voyer underline the importance of respecting waterways, pointing out how quickly local water conditions can become unpredictable and dangerous after heavy rain.

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