New helicopter medical team focuses on industrial accidents on Vancouver Island
A new helicopter team that provides advanced medical care has launched on northern Vancouver Island.
Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical, or TEAAM, got its start in Squamish, B.C., and opened its fourth location in Campbell River, B.C., on Wednesday.
What's different about TEEAM compared to other search and rescue options is that it focuses on industrial incidents, and provides advanced medical in the field instead of simply transporting patients.
The non-profit group is funded by companies and organizations that pay subscription fees based on the number of employees they have.
"Primarily the logging [industry]. There’s a few fishing outfits that are interested and different pieces of industry," said TEAAM base manager Dave Hutton.
"Each day we kind of get somebody else who’s interested in being a member with us," he said. "As it grows I think we will have more different industries as well."
The TEAAM helicopter is seen in Campbell River, B.C. (CTV News)
'NEED FOR THIS IN OUR COMMUNITY'
TEAAM will be able to fly to some of the most remote locations on northern Vancouver Island to attend industrial accidents and medical situations.
Its team members are volunteers who are on standby and who are paid if a rescue mission is called in.
"Nurses, firefighters, search and rescue technicians, we have a couple military SAR Techs (Search and Rescue Technicians), a couple of doctors in town and one doctor out of Nanaimo," said Hutton.
Jennifer Lorenzetto is a nurse and one of TEAAM's newest team members on Vancouver Island.
"To be able to deliver care faster with such a diverse group of people is great, so when I found out about it, it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of," she said.
The critical care nurse has worked in Campbell River for the past 11 years and is looking forward to helping out in remote locations.
"I think everybody who is part of team just really sees the need for this in our community. It’s heartbreaking when something goes terribly wrong, so that’s why we’re here," she said.
Now that the group is fully up and running, the team is waiting for its first official tasking.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Whooping cough epidemic sweeps Europe, health agency says
European countries have reported a surge in whooping cough cases in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, with 10 times as many identified as in each of the previous two years.