“We go into care mode”: Parkland Ambulance paramedics among responders to murders on James Smith Cree Nation

“There are real faces of people and families that were affected by this horrific tragedy,” Karasiuk said. “Our professionalism and our training really take (over) when we need to deal with it. Paramedics, without making it sound too simple, we’re there to fix, we’re there to help, and we’re there to care. Sometimes, in these large events, we’ll go into that automatic mode of doing what we’re trained to do until we have a chance to slow down.”

Though they haven’t had to use it very often, there is a mass casualty protocol for paramedics. They carry what Karasiuk referred to as a “mass casualty kit”.

“There’s a protocol to follow, and our staff need to go rhythmically through this protocol,” said Karasiuk. “There’s a series of steps they do to activate what is within our industry termed a code orange.”

A huge aspect of the work paramedics did at this scene was getting people to hospitals, and the ambulances that took them had to go in several different directions. None of the nearby hospitals could accommodate that many severely injured people.

“We can’t overwhelm one facility with all of these people,” Karasiuk said. “If we took them all to Melfort Hospital, for example, we’d just be moving the mass casualty incident from one scene to another place.”

As the care shifts from paramedics to doctors and nurses, the job of unpacking what paramedics witnessed at the scene begins. It’s a job that, according to Karasiuk, they’ve learned a lot about during his time there as they do it after many calls.

“Our paramedics deal with the fragility of life each and every day,” said Karasiuk. “Sometimes it’s hanging literally in the palm of their hands to save somebody’s life, to make a difference. We do an awesome job, but sometimes we just can’t.”

Keeping their paramedics and call centre workers mentally healthy has long been a priority for Parkland Ambulance. Although horrific incidents like the one on James Smith Cree Nation are rare, the protocols for helping peers after it are well-practiced.

“We have people on call, we have support services from our great partners at the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” said Karasiuk, “who have mental health professionals that we can draw on as simply, as quickly, as easily as picking up the phone and calling someone or by bringing someone in.”

Peer support is another big aspect of recovering from the trauma of working through a tragedy like this. It’s a major part of moving past the event, even if it stays with you.

“Resiliency is about taking this tragedy, this bad thing, making sense of it, and now creating a new normal to move forward from that,” Karasiuk said. “It’s not about forgetting it. I can remember the first day I did my very first call as a paramedic on a ride-along. I know exactly where I went in the city and I know exactly the sounds and sights and smells, because I went to a murder.”

The River Valley Resilience Retreat has said they’ve already received calls for support from first responders connected to the event. Their peer support counselors are on call.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP

by Rob Mahon

“We go into care mode”: Parkland Ambulance paramedics among responders to murders on James Smith Cree Nation

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