A firefighter-paramedic who got a face full of blood trying to save one of the victims of last month's triple homicide is a case study of why the province needs new legislation to protect them, says the head of his union.
"We had to start him on a preventative cocktail for HIV and hepatitis C, said Alex Forrest, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg.
"We couldn't find out if the blood was tainted. He has to continue taking the drugs for 28 days and he won't know for six months if he's been infected," said Forrest. On Monday night, he planned to make a presentation at public hearings on Bill 18, the Testing of Bodily Fluids and Disclosure Act.
The legislation which was introduced last Wednesday to allow for the quick testing of possibly tainted blood to protect first responders is also designed for Good Samaritans who offer first aid to injured people.
Had the legislation been in effect now, it would've spared the firefighter-paramedic who performed CPR on one of the victims of the March 29 triple homicide a lot of grief and suffering, said Forrest.
"These are very powerful anti-viral drugs with severe side-effects," he said. "The firefighter became quite sick. We had to take him off the job." He said the man couldn't work because of the nausea and dizziness he was experiencing because of the drugs. He might have been able to cut short the course of drug treatment had they been able to confirm the victim he treated was not infected with HIV or hepatits C.
"The new legislation allows us to demand a blood sample quickly - within hours," said Forrest.
In the mean time, the firefighter is waiting for a clean bill of health, and has to minimize contact with his family in case he has been infected, said Forrest.
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