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Took 35 minutes to reach dying man
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| FunkyCrew |
| quote: | Strike did not delay paramedics, chief says
Took 35 minutes to reach dying man, witness said
Allison Hanes, National Post
It took an ambulance only nine minutes to arrive at the Alexander Street apartment building where strangers were trying to revive a dying Jim Hearst, but paramedics sat outside waiting for police because of an undisclosed "health and safety" concern.
Bruce Farr, the chief of Toronto Emergency Medical Services (EMS), offered this account yesterday of the June 25 incident -- three days into a strike by city workers, including paramedics -- to reassure the public that the labour disruption did not result in Mr. Hearst's death from an apparent heart attack.
EMS is an essential service and has been operating at 75% capacity, with non-priority calls being referred to Tele-Health and delays in response time to lesser emergencies.
But Chief Farr said paramedics arrived at the scene within the requisite nine minutes and were following policy by waiting outside for police.
"When the call came in, the crew received information that raised their concerns for their own health and safety, and police were simultaneously dispatched. Upon arrival at the scene, the crew awaited for the arrival of the police," he said.
"Once the crew received another update with new information indicating that the patient wasn't breathing, they put aside their own health and safety concerns and acted immediately on that information and went in to the scene."
An investigation is under way, but may take longer because of the strike, Chief Farr acknowledged.
However, the official explanation does not mesh with the recollections of one person who tried in vain to aid the 59-year-old small business owner that night.
Manuel Rodriguez, a laid-off hotel worker who lives in the same well-kept high-rise a block east of Yonge Street, said his roommate ran outside to check and could find no ambulance in the 35 minutes they waited at Mr. Hearst's side for help to arrive.
Mr. Rodriguez said firefighters were the first to arrive at the scene, sauntering in casually "like teenagers," as he described it, telling the people already performing CPR to continue.
Another three or four minutes elapsed before paramedics entered accompanied by police, he said.
"By that time it was already too late. Even I knew he was dead with the signals that he showed. They said, 'Oh, it's too late.' I was like, 'What do you mean too late? You guys arrived late.' "
Mr. Rodriguez said that by his count, 45 minutes passed between the time the three witnesses, who found Mr. Hearst sprawled in the apartment lobby conscious and bleeding from the head, placed the first emergency call and the paramedics' arrival.
Mr. Rodriguez, who arrived five minutes later, said he does not know what they might have said to indicate a threat.
Chief Farr would not disclose what gave the responding paramedics the impression their safety was at risk, but said of the policy: "It's a protocol whereby if the paramedic crew feels that their safety could be in jeopardy based on the call received, information they're getting from their dispatcher, they can choose to await the arrival of the police.
"If it's a fight in progress, an assault in progress, a person with a weapon, that kind of information fed back to the paramedic crew, they can decide to await the arrival of police."
The official explanation raised more questions than it answered yesterday for Mr. Hearst's partner.
"I really have no clue what that means about their safety," said Alejandro Martinez Ramirez, the deceased man's spouse of eight years.
"The neighbourhood I live in is quite safe. I don't know what was keeping them from giving help to someone who was dying."
Mr. Martinez Ramirez, who was in New York when Mr. Hearst died, wants to hear the tape of his partner's final moments.
But the number he was given to call is closed for the duration of the strike by 30,000 civic workers.
Whether his partner's death was caused by the labour stoppage or not, Mr. Martinez Ramirez said he is only looking for one thing.
"I just don't want this to happen to someone else." |
Source
I'm f*cking speechless - "health and safety concerns"? what a load of crap! This happened in my building, my roomie and I actually stumbled upon the neighbours trying to revive this poor soul, as it happened outside our laundry room. Our building had no "health and safety" issues that night whatsoever. I sure hope that one of them will wait for 35 minutes when they're sprawled on the hallway floor dying. :mad: |
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| jon jon |
| ing strike, what a ing joke |
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| FunkyCrew |
srsly
I can't believe they just sat there and waited for the freaking cops
unbelievable
*mad* |
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| Abercrombie |
| They haven't said why they felt they were endagered.... THAT I want to know. |
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| FunkyCrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by Abercrombie
They haven't said why they felt they were endagered.... THAT I want to know. |
it's load of crap
they're obviously slacking because of the strike :mad: |
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| Skipper |
| quote: | Originally posted by Abercrombie
They haven't said why they felt they were endagered.... THAT I want to know. |
Same. I've read about this in the news over the last couple of days and NO mention anywhere. |
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| English Rachel |
| :(:(:(:( very very sad |
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| Abercrombie |
| quote: | Originally posted by FunkyCrew
it's load of crap
they're obviously slacking because of the strike :mad: |
That's exactly what I'm thinking. It's the gay village, it's not regent park, what's there to be afraid of, bending over? It's a safe neighbourhood ffs |
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| FunkyCrew |
as far as we, the tenants, know, there was no gun fire or fighting or anything along those lines - the area is extremely safe, the only problem we have is drunk drag queens upstairs partying too loud
I suspect that he felt faint and fell, hitting his head on the wall or the floor, since the 1st floor hallway does not have carpets
| quote: | Originally posted by Abercrombie
That's exactly what I'm thinking. It's the gay village, it's not regent park, what's there to be afraid of, bending over? It's a safe neighbourhood ffs |
it's INCREDIBLY safe, almost feels weird turning in from Yonge street and walking there - no thugs, or sketchy characters |
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| smuncky |
| quote: | Originally posted by FunkyCrew
drunk drag queens upstairs partying too loud
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lol! |
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| Jayx1 |
Im sure they were with the police at cherry beach instead making sure people werent too drunk
Gotta love toronto priorities! |
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| jpgrdnr |
| I don't see a problem with the paramedics arriving late. There is usually miscommunication between 911 and EMS (or any emerg dept, police etc.). Miscommunication that maybe someone hit Mr. Hearst over the head, etc. or something to that effect. So wait until the cops come, nothing we could do about it. Simply proper procedure. Now, we don't know the details of the phone call so no one can say for sure. There's a lot of grey area - does Mr. Rodriguez have an accurate time estimate? I highly doubt it. |
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