PRESS. WEDNESDAY. JULY 30. 1986 PAGE 9 Ron Alldred, Dave France, and Séott Duffy Free Press Staff Photo1~ -Ambulance servic-e delivers 24 hours a day- Edltor's Note: Last Thursday Duffysays. Free Press reporter Jan Dodge 9:30 - Duffy radios our arrivai to sPeat an eight hour shit on the dlapatch, "10-7 Whtby Psych." road wlth Wbltby Ambulance at- A slini woman lies on a hospital tendants Scott Duffy and Ron bed, ber body limp, her head tur- Alldred. This la ber account of the ned to one side. Perhaps It la the experience. long fair bair whlch makea ber By JAN DODGE look deceivlngly young. She la 61. Free Pres Staff Tbe quick rlalng and falling cf her 8:30 a.m. - I report for my day's abdomen la the only movement ahe asslgnent wltb Whltby Ambulan- makes. ce Service onPalace St. and check A nurse explaina ber condition to ln wlth ownera Derek Pearce and tbe attendants. Bil Cocker. "Joyce, can you bear me?" Duf- Two vebicles cover tbe town. fy aka, leanlng down to ber ear. One operates on two eight-bour Tbere la ne responae. abifta from 8 a.m. until midnlght, Side by aide Alldred and Duffy and one Operates on two 12-heur put tbeir armas under her frail body ahifta. and gently lit it onto the waiting Cocker and Pearce, Britlab-born stretcber, Sbe laya on ber back, brother-n-lawa, bave the 12-bour arma folded over ber walat. Tbe shift today, while Scott Duffy and abeet la wrapped over eacb aide Ron AIIdrecl bave tbe firat eight- andbhe la belted in place. beursahift. On the way hi, tbe ambulance a No calla bave come hi as yet. young medical student wbo, along Duffy, and Alldred. bave been with a nurse, la accompanylng tbe dolng mornlng, routines. At tbe patient describes ber as catatonic beglnnlng of each shif t there la a acblzopbrenlc, psychotic and vehicle cbeck hi enaure radio, depresaive. ýIgbhta, and emergency equlpment 9:40 - Alldred radios 10-8 te are there and werklng. Most daya Oshawa Hospital, wbicb meana there are station reutines, sucb as we're on our way. cleanlng windows, but nething la A tube i the patient'a nose on fer Thursdays. carnies exygen. <An important rnornng routine "Joyce, can you hear me?" Duf- bas been neglected. Cocker fy calla. "Open up your eyes. threatens trouble If aomeone Joyce, aqueeze my fingers. " There doesn't "brew up" soon. la ne responae. <Duffy takea erders for tea and The student tries. Stili ne coffee. response. Wble the tea la brewing, Duffy By now we are onHighway 401. demonatrates a vehicle cbeck. "Joyce, can you feel that?" Duf- 9:17 - a code 3 at Whitby fy aska. He rubs bla tbumb on ber Psycblatric cemes ln. It'a an collar bone. The student squeezes emergency, but net 11e the base of ber fingernaila. No threatenlng. response. Alldred and Duffy quickly tske "IWhen we get back on Simcoe," their places hi front. I acramble i Duffy abouts te hia partner, "let'a behlnd. not take tee mucb iegetn .Af ter two nilaitart the motor down."' catches. Duffy radios the central 9:47 - We turn on Sixncoe St. dispatcher i Oabawa, "lWe're 10" Alldred turna on the bar llght and Lo Whtby Puych. " flaahig eniergency aystemn on the Headlhts, whlch are always on, roof. ie eony wangsigl ued The light la red at the itersec- "Wlth a code 3 we usually don't tien. We pause. Ron looks boh ush as much (as wlth a code4y,, Wà *a3m H&dnives thkig Anoôther"- red liglit. Another drive tbreugh. In front hiere la an office, a Town as senior attendants. Our speed picka up from 50 te 60 to lounge area, a amail kitchen and a Afldred la classes as a "1gran- 70 kilometers per heur. We drop wasbreom wlthisbower. dfather" as are thie owners and back for traffic, hien limb again Ferty-one-year.old Alldred bas four other staff members, wbo te 70. We stop for two ca rs turning been an ambulance driver sice don't bave EMCA (Emergency at Parkwood. One pulls over on 1970, wben be werked for Town Medical Care Assistant) statua, thieaboulder eut ofthie way. Funeral Chapel. He bas been with but inatead took one monhi's Alldred drives areund. Wbltby Ambulance Service aice training at Camp Borden, years 9:51 - We arrive atthehospitsl. its inception in 1979. Before hien before EMCA training waa' Tbe patient gets abunted back Pearce and Cocker were ahe wthi SEE PG. 11 and forth between adnittlng and emergency, before bospital staff decide to keepbherin emergency. "ýThia patient blames berself for athie problema ofthie world," thie student saya. "O.K. Joyce, wve're just going te put you on this ohier bed," Duffy says. The atudent and thie nurse atay with hieir patient. Theastretcber gets a complete set ef fresh linen. Duffy points eut thie CPR board wblch la under the mat- treas of thie stretcher and part of the standard equlpment. "It alao cemes hi bandy for a flutter board, I'vebheard, " be ays. "Talk about an unresponaive lady," Duffy saya. "Even a person ln a coma will eften respond te bavlng thie clavicle rubbed." Alldred radios a 10-8 and a 10-9, wblcb mean thie vebicle is back on thie air andlas returning te base. "104 37X (vebicle number). Oshawa clear at 10.06 (time)." Duffy explains be asked AlIdred te pick up thie pace on Simncoe bec-ause thie patient waa panting and ber pulse waa quick and 10r:gu5a- A cail comes over thie radio for anthier ambulance. The two attendants banter bock and forth. Tbe day la bot-and tbia ambulance bas ne air conditionig. The 12-heur abif t bas thie nly air conditioned vebicle hi hie fleet. 10: 17 - We arrive back at base. Duffy throws eut thie tea and - "brewa Up" again. The station bas a large garage at thie rear which, besides the twe vebicles on cafl, bas another two Whltby Ambulance Service attendants tranafer a patient te Fairvlew which are used fer Mosport races, Ledge.