The Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department has been carrying Epi-Pens on all the rescue trucks for more than a decadeand last month the program proved to be vital.
Back on May 25, firefighters responded to a medical assist call for a patient in anaphylactic shock caused by an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
Crews from Baysville met up with Joseph Jesseau on Highway 117 as he was being transported to hospital by a friend and administered a dose of epinephrine from the Epi-Pen carried on-board the rescue vehicle.
Jesseau was in very serious condition, but has fully recovered and has since expressed his gratitude to the fire department.
“As first responders, our priority is to protect and save lives. We are often the first to arrive on the scene of an emergency and having the Epi-Pens on hand provides an added level of care and service to our communities,” said fire chief Stephen Hernen.
The epi-Pen program has been made possible through a generous yearly donation made by John Newman who found himself in the same serious condition as Jesseau and was administered an Epi-Pen by the Baysville fire crews.
-With a report from CTV Barrie's Rob Cooper
