First responders service up and running

By MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

West Islanders living in Dorval, Baie d'Urfe, Roxboro, Pierrefonds, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Ste. Genevieve and Ile Bizard have one less thing to worry about when they call 911 and need immediate assistance, because as of Monday, a first responder will be there – no matter where you are on Montreal Island.

The Montreal Fire Department officially staffed its stations across the territory with first responders Monday morning, so that residents who were living in places previously unserved by first responders will now be able to get immediate care if they need it.

"It's a positive move for Montrewal residents and it's going to save a lot of lives," said Montreal fire department Division Chief Richard Liebmann.

"All 15 stations in the western section of Montreal are fully staffed (with first responders) and it's very positive, especially in places where Urgences Sante's response times are longer."

Pierrefonds/Roxboro Monique Worth said the service's inception means her borough's residents will be able to rest a bit easier knowing first reposnders can be at their doorstep in minutes.

"It's a real plus, Residents who call 911 and need to be taken care of immediately will be able to have that service. We never had them before and other cities did, so now that's been addressed," she said.

The first-response service would never have been a possibility for Pierrefonds before it was merged.

"I don't think we could have looked at it if it was just us on our own. I understand the other cities had that and didn't want to see it go, so we put it in place across the territory," she said.

Dorval mayor Edgar Rouleau said the service is welcome, especially given longer ambulance response times in the West Island.

"The further west you go from the city centre, the longer the response times are. You're talking about eight-, nine-, 10-minute waits, and in a place like Dorval, where more than 50 per cent of the population are over 50, chances are we would've needed the service sooner or later," he said. "Since the first responders are staffed through the fire department, they're just a couple of minutes away from everything in Dorval."

Rouleau said offering the service doesn't even increase costs all that much – but any cost increase is justifiable in this context, he said.

"It's very minimal in this case, because we don't even have to add staff; we only have to add shifts, and costs for equipment. If we save only one life, though, it will be worth it," he said.

Baie d'Urfe mayor Maria Tutino, whose city is the second-oldest per capita on Montreal Island (behind Cote St. Luc), said she's glad to see the return of first-response service to Baie d'Urfe.

Of course, once upon a time, that job fell to the Baie d'Urfe Volunteer Fire Department, which was disbanded after the merger in 2002.

"I'm thrilled to have it back here. We had the service once, (with the volunteer department) and we're glad that someone has finally taken up that slack. We have a great relationship with the current fire department and it's nice they're here, because ambulance service in the West Island is terrible," she said.