Bass River man questions response
BASS RIVER — Kevin George is still having a difficult time coming to grips with the loss of his wife, who died while awaiting medical assistance, despite living within sight of a fire hall whose firefighters would never be called because of COVID restrictions.
“I’m still in disbelief of what happened that day,” George said during a recent interview.
The snowplow driver arrived home at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 8 after finishing an overnight shift during a blizzard that brought more than 40 centimetres to the region. His wife April thought he should nap, but George decided to clear the driveway first. As he headed out the door, he saw his wife going to the bathroom. It was the last time he saw her conscious.
When George returned to the house, April was face down on the floor, not breathing, her worried dogs gathered around her.
He immediately rolled her over, called 911 and started compressions.
George said he “begged” them to dispatch the community fire department’s volunteer medical first responders who were “two minutes away” and was told help would be arriving “in a couple minutes.”
He said he only left his wife for scant seconds to yell outside when he heard a snowplow nearby.
“I was pleading, begging, crying, worse than a dog would for a treat for this kind of help. My heart was broke.”
George stated it was 80 minutes before paramedics and RCMP officers finally arrived.
On Friday, Feb. 19, EHS released a statement to the Truro News saying a preliminary report concluded the response time was 42 minutes.
“An EHS paramedic crew responded immediately from Truro after receiving the 911 call to our EHS Medical Communications Centre and arrived at the scene 42 minutes later,” said Phil Stewart, acting senior manager of EHS operations, in an email. “Nova Scotia was experiencing severe weather conditions at the time of this call.”
In response to the report, which Gorge also received from EHS, he recalled looking at a clock which he said showed 9:55 when he first made the call and 11:24 when paramedics walked through the door. Although the report states the callout was made at 10:37 a.m., with arrival at his residence shown as 11:19 a.m., he believes those times are inaccurate.
“Wherever they came up with their timeline for the call first calling in, and however they dispatched, I totally disagree,” he said. “Where they got that time, I don’t know. And I know what I saw when I went down on the floor.”
On that snowy morning, the blanket moved slightly, and George jumped up in disbelief. But April was gone.
“I worked on my wife while she was warm, while she was coloured,” said George. “She turned cold and started going purple. And I wouldn’t want this to happen to anybody else.”
FIREFIGHTERS NOT RESPONDING TO MEDICAL CALLS BECAUSE OF COVID
The coroner’s report showed April had heart disease and epilepsy, something the couple was not aware of. And it confirmed that if a defibrillator and oxygen had been used, like those at the local fire hall, there was a chance that April could have survived.
George could see the Bass River Fire Brigade Hall from his window, but he was unaware at the time that none of the firefighters would be called. Last March, Nova Scotia’s Emergency Health Services stopped calling firefighters to medical emergencies, only requesting assistance if paramedics needed help for moving patients.
“This was a difficult decision, but it was made out of caution for responder safety in order to protect and minimize the potential exposure of not only our responders but of Nova Scotians as well,” said EHS operations system support senior manager Charbel Daniel, during a media briefing Feb. 18.
George believes the fault lies with how emergency response is dispatched.
“I’ve never pointed my finger once at the Bass River Fire Brigade,” said George. “It was not their fault, they were not dispatched ... they were a stone’s throw away — two minutes, tops.”
Although it was still messy out, George had plowed the roads himself and knew the ones to his house were clear. That message has been communicated to EHS, George said, and he is looking for answers. George has not decided what he will do with the report, but he questions EHS’S actions following what happened that morning.
“They backpedalled their tracks to COVID,” said George. “And the words I had for him, was: ‘You mean to tell me, if my house catches on fire ... do I have to stand out there trying to put it out, not knowing if 911’s going to show?”
Colchester County Coun. Tom Taggart is communicating on behalf of George with response officials.
“Even if she couldn’t have been saved, or even if she was saved and somebody was trying to keep her alive, while they’re waiting for EHS to respond, even in normal times, the ability to have somebody in your home who is trained, a companion, is a comfort in situations like that,” said Taggart. “If there’s things that these local medical first responders can do, they need to be trained, properly equipped in doing it. You have to keep in mind that they’re volunteers, but I am absolutely certain that, for the most part, they’re committed and they would do whatever was required of them to meet the new requirements.”
Dr. Andrew Travers, EHS provincial medical director, said: “These are important conversations to have.”
“On behalf of EHS, I want to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the George family and the community of Bass River,” he said.
But, “regardless of what the problem is, it has to be solved,” Taggart said. “We need to start to seriously consider ... providing required training and equipment to the community, medical first responders, and maybe it’s time we started talking about having ambulances strategically placed around in some of these rural communities, at least some of the time, to cut down on the response time.”
‘WITH ALL HER HEART’
George’s friends have started a Gofundme to help cover funeral expenses. Immediate family members saw April, who has since been cremated. Her ashes are at home and will be buried next to her father in the spring, just as she wanted.
The couple was married for 19 years. George said April loved her two French bulldogs and Boston Terrier, who enjoyed snuggling with her on the recliner, “with all her heart.”
And she loved her family — her son, grandchildren and George.
“It just put the spark in her heart to see them and put the smile on her face to do everything,” said George. “That was her life — family, friends, dogs, kids.”
“She was there for me; she was my rock.”