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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - A statement issued by spokesperson for the St.
Lucia Fire and Emergency Services Mr. Hilton Occulien, has set aside a possible
misconception that the institution requires payment for delivering emergency
services or for responding to emergency calls.
Divisional Officer Mr. Occulien said fire and emergency personnel have been
building a very cordial relationship with the public, which is based upon
honouring calls, quick response time and reliability.
“The Fire Service does not charge for any kind of emergency response, especially
the ambulance services. If somebody suddenly falls sick or collapses and you
call the ambulance that is a free service, somebody falls from a tree that is a
free service,” the veteran fire officer explained in an attempt to clarify the
issue.
Mr. Occulien said fees apply only when casual or non-emergency calls are made
for the use of ambulance services. In such cases, fifty dollars is charged for
the first five miles and five dollars for every other mile per trip.
“At this time I wish to take the opportunity to tell the general public that
once you have medical emergencies and you’re far from a hospital, your first bet
of call should be the fire service because every fire man is trained as a first
responder - that‘s a level where they can give first aid care en-route to the
hospital.”
Mr. Occulien said all Fire Service recruits are trained and tested in Emergency
Response while advanced or refresher courses s are conducted periodically to
ensure the efficiency of the department’s personnel.
Mr. Occulien said that from time to time it is necessary for the Fire Service to
clear the smoke surrounding these issues.
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