PNB IRCS - HTH Ambulance New Brunswick (NB)

Introduction

Land and air ambulance services in New Brunswick are provided to the province though a single private sector company named “Ambulance New Brunswick”

Maritimes Scanning Site

Visit the THE MARITIMES SCANNING SITE - NEW BRUNSWICK EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES (http://www.marscan.com/nbambulance.htm) for more information. The topics discuss in the article are :

• History (about the service and the radio system)
• Communications and Dispatch - they don't give the radio codes use on the air-for that, see below
• Air Ambulance
• Ground Ambulance
• Ambulance type and other vehicules
• Ambulance bases
• Crew Shifts and Accommodations
• Medical First Response (MFR)
• OLMC (On-line Medical Control)
• Contact with ER

Regions

ANB has divided the Province of New-Brunswick into 4 operational regions for dispatching purpose : North, East, South & West.

Radio Network

ANB utilizes a conventional VHF system (in the 148MHz and 150-152MHz) for their operations. The same freq is used 2 times for each city. Once as a talkaround (simplex) freq for the city. Again as the dispatch (repeater) freq for the same city

The channel line-up is not continous. It goes from ch 1-18, 31-48, 50, 60, 70. Odd channel number are talkaround (simplex with no tone) freqs and even channel number are dispatch (repeater with a tone usualy 151.4 except for ch. 10 & 12, with a tone of 167.9) freqs for specific cities. For exemple, (ch. 5) 148.765 is the Moncton talkaround freq while (ch. 6) 148.765 with a tone of 151.4 is the dispatch freq.

For a list of all hospitals in the province, their call sign and the dispatch ch. where the medics do their report to that hospital, see http://www.marscan.com/nbhospitalslist.htm

Some freqs are simulcast with other freqs. See map below (PS. I know the map is hard to read - i'm working on clearing it up) Media:ANB Radio Network-mod.pdf

Codes

ANB uses two sets of codes for dispatching : the 10-codes and the ProQA codes(dispatch protocol)

Codes

• Code 1 - Lights & Sirens - life threatening call
• Code 2 - No lights or Sirens - not life threatening call

ProQA codes

These codes are use to describe the chief complaint and condition of the patient while dispatching a call.

Media:Dispatch Protocols - ProQA1.doc

To understand the letter in the ProQA code (like 6Echo1 = 6-E-01) read the following.

Response Priority

“E” (Echo) Response

• Life Threatening Emergency—patient not breathing (choking, hanging, drowning)
• ALS Fire Department First Responder—lights and siren
• ALS Ambulance—lights and siren
• Basic Life Support Fire Unit responds with lights and siren at fire department’s discretion

“D” (Delta) Response

• Life Threatening Emergency—Chest pain, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, seizures, dangerous bleeding
• ALS Fire Department First Responder—lights and siren
• ALS Ambulance—lights and siren
• Basic Life Support Fire Unit responds with lights and siren if closest ALS first responder is unavailable

“C” (Charlie) Response

• Potentially Life Threatening Emergency—Difficulty breathing, non-responsive, stroke, substance overdose, diabetic problems, serious injury
• ALS Fire Department First Responder—lights and siren

ALS Ambulance—lights and siren

• Basic Life Support fire unit responds with lights and siren if first/second closest ALS first responder is unavailable**

“B” (Bravo) Response

• Unknown Situation, Serious bleeding/injury, pregnancy, psychiatric problems
• ALS Fire Department First Responder—lights and siren
• ALS Ambulance—lights and siren

“A” (Alpha) Response

• Non-life threatening situation with high potential for transport
• ALS ambulance—non-emergency
• ALS fire unit dispatched may be second closest, if nearer units are unavailable.
• ALS fire unit dispatched may be third closest, if nearer units are unavailable.