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Inuvik EMS back to 100 per cent

The Inuvik ambulance station received a back-up ambulance Jan. 28 to replace the vehicle
destroyed in a Jan. 20 fire.

Primary care paramedic Tim May, left, and emergency medical responder Angel Simon pose with Inuvik’s new back-up ambulance after it arrived in town this week. Photo courtesy of Advanced Medical Solutions Inc.

“Crews are now just getting it ready and cleaned and restocked. It’ll be back in service by this
evening,” said Sean Ivens, president and CEO of Advanced Medical Solutions Inc. (AMS), the
company that operates ambulances in Inuvik, on Tuesday, Jan. 30. “We’re back up to 100 per
cent efficiency.”
On Saturday Jan. 20, a fire broke out at the Inuvik ambulance base shortly after 1 a.m.. No crews
were on site at the time of the fire, but the building, the inventory it housed, and the back-up
ambulance were destroyed.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Ivens said most of the time, the back-up ambulance in Inuvik is not in use, unless the main
vehicle has a mechanical issue. Sometimes it is used if two simultaneous events are happening,
but this is infrequent.
Ivens added that within 24 hours of the fire, AMS was able to secure a temporary location – a
townhouse in Inuvik – to store the ambulances, as well as housing for the crew.
AMS was also able to fully replace the inventory lost in the fire, and is now storing it in a
warehouse near the old gas station in town.

“For now, it’s operational and it’s working for us, but we do need to secure a more permanent
solution,” Ivens said. “Our emergency response plans kicked in right away during the event and
worked out very well, so we’re happy with the way it all happened. As much as you don’t want
to have to enact those kinds of plans, we were well prepared so it went fairly smoothly.”
Ivens said he is happy with the way everything went to plan following the fire.
“I’m very pleased with the way that our team pulled together, and the way that the community
pulled together behind us and helped support us,” Ivens said. “I’m very grateful to Inuvik and the
Inuvik fire department for their support in everything that’s transpired.”