Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Local dealer donates cars for paramedics
Local car dealer Jim Gauthier is donating a new Chevrolet HHR compact station wagon and a Dodge Caliber hatchback for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service to use during the H1N1 pandemic.
To deal with an influx of 911 calls, the city is on the cusp of launching a new posse of paramedics who will travel the city in cars instead of ambulances.
The one-man units, tentatively called the primary treatment and referral service (PTRS), will be more like nurses who make house calls. They'll be able to triage and treat some of the thousands of non-life-threatening cases called in to 911 every year -- everything from worrisome flu to sprained ankles, diabetes and seizures.
The idea is to take pressure off ambulances and help ease the long wait times at city emergency rooms. If it works well during the pandemic, the city hopes the community paramedics will become a permanent part of the city's emergency services.
Once the PTRS is launched, the city can ramp up to four cars.
-- Mary Agnes Welch
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 20, 2009 A6
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- No comfort in trade talk: Veteran Thorburn says closely knit club well worth keeping together
- Father of man charged in Mountie shootings pleads with him to come home
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- New appointees named to Manitoba Hydro board
- Spain mourns death of Catalan painter, sculptor Antoni Tapies, top contemporary art figure
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Our 'true champion'
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Flood reviews launched
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.