The Manitoulin-Sudbury District Service Board is considering removing a life-saving social service from the community of Foleyet, Ontario. The Paramedics and Ambulance services in our community are vital, paramedics are front-line heroes in emergencies and often are the reason people in life-threatening situations survive, because of the quick and responsive actions they are trained to take under pressure. 

Foleyet requires paramedic and ambulance services. We have an increasing elder population and we are located too far from any hospital to receive immediate care if an emergency happens. 

Chapleau EMS relays with Foleyet EMS when sending patients from Chapleau to Timmins. Without this relaying of patients community members in Chapleau can be left without EMS coverage for multiple hours. 

This closure would not only affect Foleyet but it would also affect the relay of patient transportation between Gogama and Chapleau, including multiple First Nations communities and community members that live in the surrounding areas. 

These are the current services offered by Foleyet EMS:

-Primary care paramedics deliver a wide range of time-critical medical interventions, as well as emotional and psychological support
assess, treat and transport patients with all types of minor, moderate and life-threatening medical and traumatic emergencies, provide incubation, intravenous therapy and has a wide range of medications at their disposal for many types of medical conditions or traumatic injuries

In an emergency situation, every minute counts and removing the EMS service in Foleyet would leave community members waiting for hours to receive medical care in an emergency situation, a wait that could potentially be life-threatening.

Please sign and share!

**Photo of the Grand Opening of a new EMS station in Foleyet, Ontario – celebrated on July 26th, 2013. image sourced from a google search of  "Foleyet EMS".