Maintaining and improving the health care status of paramedics, allied first responders and patients who are exposed to hazardous substances is a key priority for the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS). One of the ways this objective is being achieved is through the Technical Advisor Program, a program launched in September 2006 that works to provide real time technical information to on site supervisors and crews who respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) events.
Technical Advisors are off duty, trained CBRNE graduates who are educated in Haz-Mat awareness and operations, dangerous goods, suspicious package guidelines, National Fire Protection Act (NFPA) 472 Emergency Medical Services Standards and explosive disposal procedures. Working in close conjunction with Regional BCAS Dispatch/Communications Centres, Technical Advisors gather and analyze vital on-scene information, such as patient symptoms, to determine which chemicals may be involved.
Based on this intelligence, a treatment plan for the suspected agent is developed and communicated to the frontline staff, who for safety purposes remain off site until the Technical Advisor, designated supervisor, or other qualified lead agency deem the scene safe, or an appropriate action plan is developed.
A solid first line of defense towards protecting personnel and first responders and healthcare facilities, the program has been very successful in reducing exposure and injury since its inception.
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