December 2018 Member Newsletter

 
President’s Update “By far the biggest triumph of the past year was the successful establishment of our separate and distinct bargaining association, the Ambulance Paramedics and Ambulance Dispatchers Bargaining Association (APADBA). This major milestone sets us on a path to be able to address important issues in our workplace in the upcoming round of collective bargaining.”

Secretary Treasurer’s Update “Over the last month we’ve been working with our accountants on a project to improve our efficiency and create more standardized practices with our bookkeeping.
Several donation requests were approved at Convention, PEB and PEC meetings to support various worthy causes.”
 
Vacation Picks “Many forget to realize that we actually have a large amount of potential days off during the year. I would like to remind everyone that days away to spend with family, friends, loved ones, recuperating and energizing are vital to our mental health and wellness. This is especially important as we enter the winter months when the winter Blues or doldrums, otherwise known as Seasonal Effective Disorder, start to weigh on us.”   

Adrian Oliver Memorial Run “Our keen runners Laura Murrey and Jaclyn Rollins were not only the first two women across the finish line, but they also assured Team APBC/BCAS First Place in the Emergency Services 5k Division! After the race Al Pruden held the winning 50/50 ticket and donated the entire $675 pot back to Honour House.”  

Safety Bulletin “The Pinel Restraints were introduced to paramedics last year in the violence training. These restraints are a huge improvement in how we restrain a psychiatric patient, but they still have not been deployed into the field provincially as of yet. Getting these restraints laundered in different areas of the province was a major stumbling block.”  

Psychological Health and Wellness Update “Section 55 of the Worker’s Compensation Act. There are many clauses that have implications here, but simply put if a worker is injured, they have 12 months to file for a claim. This becomes problematic for psychological injury as they are different to physical injuries and the current Act was not created to address or support them.”  

Meet the Newest Team Members “Meet our new CISM Chair (Melanie Stephens), Provincial Public Education Director (Megan Nelson) and Union Trustee (Dave Leary).”