By Mark Squibb
December 1, 2023 Edition
Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll is once again ringing the alarm bell over what he calls inadequate ambulance service in Trepassey.
O’Driscoll said a resident called him last week after the driveshaft fell out of an ambulance on route to St. Shotts to pick up her mother. A second ambulance had to be dispatched from St. Mary’s, more than an hour away on a good day.
O’Driscoll said the first ambulance had clocked over 475,000 kilometres on its odometer.
Following the complaint, O’Driscoll said he called the Department of Health and Community Services to inquire about the rules and regulations regarding mileage, upkeep, and inspection requirements. He said the word from government is that ambulances are good for 10 years and up to 500,000 kilometres, and that inspections are required every six months or so.
Fewer’s Ambulance, which serves Trepassey and the neighbouring communities of Portugal Cove South, Biscay Bay and St. Shott’s, gave the Province notice back in January that it would be pulling the ambulance out of the region in July as the business in that area was no longer profitable.
Owner Bob Fewer told media at the time that he would commit to remaining in the area until government took over.
O’Driscoll, meanwhile, said that one ambulance to serve Trepassey is simply unacceptable, especially when the nearest ambulance service is an hour’s drive away.
“I think they need to put a second ambulance back in Trepassey,” said O’Driscoll. “If an ambulance leaves Trepassey and drives to St. John’s, it’s a two-hour drive at a minimum. And you may have to keep your client in your ambulance until they get checked in, so who knows how long they would have to stay, depending on the type of emergency. So, by the time they return, it’s definitely been five or six hours without an ambulance service.”
O’Driscoll said the issue has been ongoing and is a serious concern for people in Trepassey and the neighbouring communities.
Trepassey residents also raised alarm when the area’s only doctor retired back in 2022. That position has yet to be filled.
“It feels like they’re forgetting the rural areas,” said O’Drsicoll. “First it was doctors, and now it’s the ambulance.”
O’Driscoll said he has raised the issue in the House and in public, and feels frustrated with the lack of movement.
As to last week’s mechanical mishap, O’Driscoll allowed accidents happen and that even well-serviced and maintained vehicles experice hiccups now and then, but that it’s still a concern.
“When things like this happen, it gives residents a little more doubt about the system and how it works,” said the member. “When the ambulance arrives, people expect it to be in good working order. And it’s on government to ensure that that happens. And it’s concerning, it really is.”
The Irish Loop Post contacted Fewer’s about the incident but did not receive a response by deadline.
