Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. Tourism brochures tout Calgary, which is nestled at the base of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, as part of the "Old West, New West, Real West and Wild West." The annual Calgary Stampede, a 10-day celebration of Western heritage, attracts a half-million visitors. From the EMS perspective, any large gathering of this magnitude is a challenge. But in today's world, with threats of terrorism clouding large events in even the most idyllic communities, comprehensive preparedness is the key to public safety.

     For medical emergencies, Calgary EMS operates as an independent service, with 44 ALS units responding to an average of 100,000 calls per year. According to Glenn Bjolverud, Calgary Emergency Medical Services superintendent, Calgary EMS works closely with the Calgary Fire Department and Police Service. "We have an extremely positive working relationship with our fire hazmat people," Bjolverud says. "We co-respond in a number of areas."

Hazmat IRPs: The New Program Begins
      In 2001, in the shadow of 9/11, Calgary fire, police and EMS first responders were called to "a raft of suspicious white powder calls," Bjolverud says. "We also had the G8 Summit coming up in 2002 that involved all the presidents and prime ministers of the top eight economic countries in the world, so we needed to upgrade our response capability for terrorism or some type of deployed weapons."

     The "Advanced Life Support Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents" course at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD, served as the foundation for the pioneering Calgary EMS Hazardous Materials Paramedics (HMP) program, which graduated 20 specially trained and equipped HMPs in 2002. In 2005, the program was re-christened the Incident Response Paramedic (IRP) program, with 16 specially trained and equipped IRPs, four per platoon, on duty. IRPs focus on events involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) and explosive devices, as well as industrial and other hazmat calls.

     "Our role within hazmat is not to deal with the hazmat event, but with the casualties of the hazmat event," Bjolverud says, adding that the paramedics also act as a "medical safety net" for Calgary Fire hazmat technicians and other first responders who have to work with high levels of protection. "Initially, we thought our paramedics would be unlikely to enter anything beyond the 'warm zone,'" Bjolverud explains. "While this may be true in an industrial hazmat call, with a terrorist event potentially involving several hundred casualties, paramedics can be integral to the 'hot zone' response as well."