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Piecing Together the Social Fabric BY RYAN DAHLMAN


hose who serve rural communities do so because


Ponteix (wasn’t diffi cult); once I got established the transition wasn’t hard.”


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of a sense of giving back to the community. T is is certainly true of the trio


of Hutch Ambulance in Ponteix. When Immediate Care


Paramedic Brian Walters was in high school in Assiniboia, he had already decided emergency services was going to be career. He has now been in the position for 17


LANDAN REIMER


years, but it hasn’t been easy. Working and being on call at a moment’s notice for eight days in a row, 24-hours-a-day sounds a little nerve wracking and really throws a monkey wrench into planning family time. However for those in the industry, it’s all about serving the community. “T ere’s a satisfaction in a


call to help (people) out or in certain situations, being there comforting a patient,” explained Walters who along with Primary Care Paramedics Landan Reimer and Krista Borgerson make up the Ponteix team. “It’s never the same every day.” In the mid-nineties, he had


He spends a minimum of 25 hours in the Hutch ambulance offi ce. He said working in a small town, most of the responses they are of a medical nature and less with collisions and fi res.


Walters said living in a small town


is diff erent because generally the person who made the call is known


to the responders. While one would think it’s a strain mentally to see people you care about suff er, Walters looks at it another way. “It does help to a certain point,” explained


Walters. “You know that person, it helps them relax knowing that it’s you dealing with it. “Counselors are available if we come across something that’s diffi cult. Sometimes, it takes a bit to get over ... plus you have other co- workers —other people who have dealt with it so you talk it out.”


d


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KRISTA


joined the fi re department and then took fi rst responders course through the local health region at the community college. In 2000, he took the more advance


Emergency Medical Technician course on a part-time basis while still working as an Emergency Medical Responder. He has been an EMT for nine


years and took the opportunity to get an advance EMT certifi cate through Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST). He likes working in the smaller


centres. “I


grew up in a farming community so moving to BRIAN WALTERS BORGERSON


One such co-worker is Krista Borgerson, a primary care paramedic who moved with her husband from Saskatoon to Ponteix. She had been working for a work centre for those with disabilities, but decided to take the EMT course.


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Sh ce


“We have had some serious calls and I’ll never forget those calls but knowing I gave it 110 per cent, we’ve done all we can do,” Borgerson said. “Every call you’re learning. You never get the same call twice ... on my days off I focus on my family. I don’t take it home with me. Kids are number one for me.”


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She and her husband wanted to raise their children in a smaller community so


to they


Borgerson said working in a small department puts pressure on the trio because there’s so few of them


ac d


Experience the Saskatchewan Advantage


D. Wayne Elhard, MLA Cypress Hills Constituency


Your Voice in Regina knew she


would have to be on-call and they accept that.


OPEN TO SERVE YOU!!


Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thurs. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.


and with eight communities and seven or eight rural municipalities in their jurisdiction that’s a lot of territory to cover. However, they all know their roles. T eir teamwork is natural and smooth. Walters also is a proud member of Ponteix’s


local fi re department. In some cases the two departments are at the same scene. Walters’ fi rst priority is any medical, EMT work, but if it’s all clear, he helps put out fi res. Emergency Medical Services Week was


held May 20-26. T ose who have dealt with those in the fi eld know how important they are and are sometimes taken for granted.


Southwest Progress Report 2012 23


Ambulance services love small-town southwest Sask. T


“What we do is important. EMS is a necessary service that is vital for our community and the nation,” said Kathy Kennedy of Hutch Ambulance in Assiniboia in a prepared statement addressing her team. “Please know that no matter what happens, we know that you work hard and that you care. We know what you are accomplishing out there and we give you our respect. We give you our sincere thanks. We pledge to support you as best as we are able and we know that you’ll continue to give us your best.” It’s hectic but both say they love what they do and the Ponteix region is better for it.


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