A new medivac service is being based out of Campbell River, to provide potentially life-saving support for injured workers in remote areas. (TEAAM)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

AIRBORNE

New medivac team providing quicker hospital link for remote Island workers

Aug 16, 2022 | 9:39 AM

NANAIMO — An expanding medivac service has set up shop in Campbell River, creating a more stable and quicker response time for injured people on Vancouver Island.

Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical, or TEAAM, began operations in 2018 in Squamish and quickly expanded out to Prince George and Fort St. John.

Miles Randell, TEAAM president, said their most recent development is a new, permanent base in Campbell River which officially opened Aug. 1.

“It’s a faster response time for North Island. We are able to access the Campbell River area from Squamish…but it’s probably another 40 minutes faster if we’re accessing it from the Campbell River area.”

Since their opening, the Island team has flown a mission out to Toba Inlet, something which would have been more challenging and time consuming from Squamish.

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The program is a not-for-profit model and is supported by community donations and partnerships with large industry groups.

Among many other collaborations, TEAAM has worked with the BC Truck Loggers Association, the City of Campbell River and the Strathcona Regional District to make the Island base a reality.

The service is geared towards providing life-saving care to those working dangerous jobs in the Island’s wilderness.

“We identified there is a big gap in pre-hospital care in British Columbia, particularly when it comes to remote and rugged places…when it comes to remote work sites like logging sites, mountain guiding, power line projects and that kind of thing,” Randell said.

He estimates their service gets someone out of the bush and to hospital 10 times faster than walking the person to an awaiting ambulance.

TEAAM crews, staffed by doctors and paramedics, can also deliver immediate care on site.

“We can get to any terrain and provide advanced life support and critical care, then from that challenging terrain we transport directly to the most appropriate hospital.”

Currently, professionals are paid through an on-call model and are only compensated when they’re called out on a mission.

Randell said he wants to grow the organization to support around a dozen full-time positions in the Campbell River area.

–with files from Jon de Roo, 97.3 FM The Eagle

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