EMS ‘miscue’

Dear Editor:

On Dec. 18 at 1pm I had a severe accident, I nearly severed my left thumb with my table saw. Stupidly, I had removed the guard! I came to the house hand wrapped in a towel bleeding profusely and asked my wife to call 911.

She did so giving our complete address and fire code. She was passed on to the second person giving the same information, this person said “we don’t cover that area!” Now a third person same information given, “can’t find you!”

Now at this time I said cancel the call, she did, I drove myself eight miles in a snow storm to Palmerston and District Hospital, where I was treated with care by a great nurse and doctor for three hours.

While away my wife gets a call from 911 the person say’s “does your husband have a cell phone, if so tell him to pull off the highway and we will get him from there.” Can not find my address but will find me on a highway in a snow storm?

Monday morning my first call was to my fire chief in Kenilworth. My first question was, “If I give you my fire code number can you find me?”

“Of course,” was his reply. I related the above and he gave me the name and number of the manager of EMS for this area.

I called this manager related my story, he immediately said the EMS’ response was unacceptable! He would look into it and would relay all information to the head of EMS Ontario. When a call goes out to 911 it can be picked up by North Bay, Cambridge or even London. They all should dispatch my local nearest ambulance from Arthur, Drayton or Listowel. He is to get back to me.

Bear in mind the accident was serious but not life threatening – if it had been I would be dead for sure! Every time there is a miscue everyone blames COVID – not so. Our politicians use these excuses to cover their tracks with cutbacks to save the almighty dollar.

In short, someone should lose their job over this fiasco for sure!

Don Slote,
Wellington North