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Kamloops, Tk’emlups celebrate 200 years together Page A3
TUESDAY
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 X Volume 25 No. 69
THIS WEEK
Kala Stone is focused on running all the way to the NCAA Page A27 Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
Polish firm takes control of Ajax
Ryan Jones, an emergency medical dispatcher with BC Ambulance, coaches KTW reporter Andrea Klassen during a recent training session. The service is looking to hire 10 dispatchers in Kamloops. CPR certification, level two first-aid, basic typing skils and the ability to multi-task are required. Dave Eagles/KTW
Keeping their cool in Kamloops By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
T
HE CALL COMES IN FROM WESTSYDE. A 78-year-old man collapsed during breakfast and isn’t breathing. His son is on the line. On one of four computer monitors in front of me, I’ve logged the man’s address and the phone number. A second monitor offers a series of prompts to get more details. “Place your hand on
his forehead, your other hand under his neck, then tilt the head back. Put your ear next to his mouth,” I tell the caller in what I’m hoping is a reassuring tone. I wait a few seconds, trying to picture him following the steps, making sure he’s had time to complete them. “Can you feel or hear any breathing?” “No,” he replies. I click the appropriate buttons on the computer. Time to teach him how to do chest compressions — 600 of them to start.
video-online] www.kamloopsthisweek.com If an ambulance hasn’t reached him by the end of those, we’ll move to full-on CPR. I am a bit nervous, a little trickle of adrenaline keeping my hands moving restlessly, making me fidget with the computer mouse as we go through the steps.
I can only imagine what it would be like if any of this was actually real. Place a 911 call for ambulance service in B.C. — whether you’re in Haida Gwaii, Fort Nelson or downtown Kamloops — and you’ll be routed to one of three
BC Ambulance dispatchoperations centres. “BC Ambulance, what’s your emergency?” the man or woman on the other end of the line will ask. Depending on a variety of factors — the severity of the situation, the remoteness of your location, your own level of panic — the call can last a couple minutes or more than two hours. In Kamloops, 48 emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) keep the centre staffed 24 hours a day. X See DISPATCHERS A10
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Polish mining firm KGHM International has officially taken the reigns of the Ajax mine project planned for south of Aberdeen. Until now, Vancouver-based Abacus Mining and Exploration has been the operator of the proposed copper and gold mining project. But, when KGHM increased its stake in the project to 80 per cent from 51 per cent in April via a $30-million payment to Abacus, it gained the right to either become or appoint the project’s operator. According to the company, the change will take effect on Saturday, Sept. 1. Under the agreement, KGHM will also appoint another member to the KGHM Ajax board, which now has two members from each company. The two companies have also selected a new management team for the project. Abacus CEO Jim Excell will step into the CFO position, while KGHM International’s chief project officer Mark Blakely will become COO.
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The proposed mine has an expected life of 23 years, with a production capacity of approximately 60,000 tonnes of mineral ore per day. If approved, the mine is expected to produce 109 million pounds of copper and 99,000 ounces of gold annually over its 23-year life, with 350 full-time jobs anticipated. Pending approval, construction at the mine site — which is about 2.5 kilometres from the upper reaches of Aberdeen homes — would begin in early 2013, with copper production set to begin in early 2015. The Ajax proposal is being reviewed under the federal Environmental Assessment Act and the provincial Environmental Assessment Act. Public concerns are many and include dust, noise, reverberations from blasting, increased truck traffic, pollution from the chemical make-up in the dust, property values and impact on the water table in Aberdeen.
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