Handcuffs, accident reports and…medical equipment

Illustration with word cloud relating to Defibrillator.

Seeing a police car in the rear-view mirror makes a large percentage of us nervous. It’s true that prevention through presence is an integral part of the police officers’ routine. However, did you know that police officers step in during medical emergencies while awaiting the arrival of the paramedics?

Better and better equipped

Since 2010, the officers of the Ville de Mont-Tremblant police department have been equipped with four automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and have undertaken at least three resuscitations.

In December, the CISSS (Integrated Health and Social Services Centres)of the Laurentides provided eleven additional AED devices to the police department, thus optimally equipping the police patrol cars. In the event of a cardiopulmonary arrest, every minute counts for the victim’s chances of survival.

Simply put, the AED administers a shock to a heart which has lost its normal rhythm of function, thus attempting to restart it.

Trained to step in

In November and December 2018, the police officers took an eight-hour training course given by the ambulance paramedics from the prehospital medical care services coordination of the Integrated Health and Social Services Centres of the Laurentides (the Laurentians).

The training is in addition to the one taken every three years by the officers to maintain their certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

As well as having the usual first aid kit, the officers also carry an oxygen tank to intervene in the event of respiratory distress before the arrival of the ambulance paramedics.

Along with their training, the equipment that the police officers now have demonstrates that Choisir Mont-Tremblant, c’est choisir la sécurité (Choosing Mont-Tremblant means choosing safety).

Quiz

  • Mont-Tremblant police officers have Nalozone, a product that neutralizes the effects of opioids in the event of an overdose.
    FALSE
    In contrast to the police of Laval or of the province of Québec, Mont-Tremblant police officers do not have the training to administer Naloxone.
  • Police officers have been trained to deal safely with contaminated syringes.
    TRUE
  • Some AED devices can be affected by the cold and become non-functioning.
    TRUE
    This is why patrol cars are allowed to bypass the regulation that forbids leaving a car engine running when parked.

 

By the same author: Gripping the road… (Click the image below)

 

Éric Cadotte51 Posts

Agent aux relations communautaires du Service de police de Mont-Tremblant, Éric Cadotte collabore par le biais de chroniques avec plusieurs médias de la région, dont la radio Cime FM et la télévision communautaire TVCL. / As community relations agent for the Mont-Tremblant Police Department, Éric Cadotte works via written and spoken columns with several regional media outlets, including CIME FM radio and TVCL community television.

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