Client: Service Development
Date: May 06, 2011

Since its inception in September 2006, the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) Technical Advisor program has not allowed one personnel injury on any of the calls the program has been notified on; no small feat given the over 3,500 calls the team has responded to over its 53 months of operation.

“These statistics speak volumes to the protective mechanism put in place by Technical Advisor contact and the ability of the program to reduce exposure and injury”, said Rene Bernklau, BCAS Provincial Coordinator, Hazardous Substance Response. “Through the Technical Advisor program, regions and Provincial Programs have an opportunity to work together as a team, which is making a tremendous difference in responder safety.”

The Technical Advisor program provides real-time technical information to onsite supervisors and crews regarding hazardous substance and Chemical Biological Radioactive Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) responses throughout the province. The goal of the program is to provide a solid first line of defence towards protecting personnel and first receiver sites from contamination and to maintain and improve upon the health care status of all who encounter the team.

In 2010, the TA program responded to 1,193 events, ranging from fires, to gas leaks, to hazmat, biological and atmospheric incidents (see the graph to the right for a breakdown of 2010 contacts by type). Crew exposure rates have been steadily declining over the past 3 years, which Rene attributes to the ongoing use of the TA service, and the continued cooperation and involvement of BCAS staff at all levels.