Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 45
$1 includes GST
Lest We Forget
County joins call raising alarm on emergency response time Patricia Harcourt Editor
Beaver County has joined other municipalities raising concerns about unacceptable emergency medical response times in the province. Interim CAO Margaret Jones explained at council’s November 3 regular meeting that a letter from the County of Vermilion River has raised alarm bells. Council reviewed the letter at the organizational meeting the previous week. The letter was “expressing a concern that firefighters are waiting too long for emergency medical personnel to arrive on scene,” said Jones. “This jeopardizes the quality of care that rural residents receive.” A motion to write the Minister of Health expressing council’s concerns was made by Deputy Reeve Gene Hrabec (Division 3), followed by discussion in which Councillor Dale Pederson (Division 5) spoke about conditions at the eastern end of the county. Pederson said the ambulance takes a patient to the city and end up “sitting in Edmonton.” Then his division has to rely on surrounding municipalities if an emergency happens during the time their own ambulance is otherwise occupied. Division 2 Councillor Lionel Williams believed that COVID-19 “plays a part” in this scenario and hoped the situation would improve once the pandemic is down. He noted that firefighters trained in medical emergencies are not allowed to use their medical skills but must wait for the emergency medical responders to be on scene. Jones confirmed this by reporting on a request by council on October 6 to contact Beaver Emergency Medical Services (BEMS) and Beaver Emergency Services Commission (BESC) “to determine if a similar situation occurs in the Beaver region.” However, there were two different responses to this question. Jones said: “The executive director of BEMS indicated that the ambulance service has seen sustained increases in call volumes of 25 per cent to 40 per cent due to COVID-19, but he does not believe that these increases have had a negative impact on See RESPONSE TIME P15
Local Remembrance Day ceremonies The number of war dead honoured on Remembrance Day, November 11, are legion and the Royal Canadian Legion is a testament to that fact in name alone. These men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, serving in two World Wars and in other war zones over many decades. At the Viking Branch No. 81 of the Royal Canadian Legion, the members of the Honour Roll for those who died serving in World War l and ll are: Robert Ashwell, Ted Brian, George Brumley, William Carpenter, David Cary, Karl Kristenson, Alex Crawford, Thomas Crawford, Richard Cottrell, Andrew Dobbie, Louis Dobry, Ulric Drobena, Gordon Elliot, James Farmer, Max Hays, William Kelcey, Lloyd Kennett, Reginald Long, Ronald Martin, Jack McAthey, Carl Noren, Howard Saunders, Alvin Seibles, Arthur Whitford, and Alex Wilby. Their names are inscribed on a Cenotaph and in the hearts of many who remember them, along with the many thousands upon thousands of others who were lost defending the homeland on a foreign shore. Every year, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, people gather in community halls, memorial spaces, workplaces, schools and homes and stand in
honour of all those who have fallen. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the poppy becoming the nation’s symbol of Remembrance. The pandemic has meant that locally the Remembrance Day service in Viking is being held virtually again this year at the Golden Valley Lutheran Church. The Holden Legion is once again having an outdoor service only at the Cenotaph on main street, with no wreath laying. The service in Irma will once again take place at the Irma School on November 11. The Royal Canadian Legion is encouraging all Canadians to observe a moment of silence on November 11 to mark the sacrifice of the many who have fallen in the service of their country, and to acknowledge the courage of those who still serve. The Act of Remembrance “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. We Will Remember Them.”