Doug Bigelow and Kate Erickson at home on their Vernon farm.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/B.C. Emergency Health Services.

A Vernon man, who recently had a heart attack, is crediting the swift response of the B.C. Ambulance Service for why he's alive today.

Doug Bigelow outlines his story in a media release from B.C. Emergency Health Services.

"I’ve never had a heart attack before so I was dwelling in denial, thinking I could shower and change before making my way into town," Doug Bigelow said in the release. "But within minutes, I knew I was in trouble, the pain was becoming really tough."

Bigelow jumped in his car with his wife, Kate Erickson, who started driving to the hospital from their Vernon farm.

Erickson planned to call the hospital to let them know they were coming, but not having its number, called 911 instead.

"I’m someone who panics easily, but as soon as the guy on the line answered, he told me 'Don’t worry. We’ve got this,'" Erickson said in the release. "I felt like I was enveloped in support. He was so steady and caring."

During the drive, Bigelow's condition worsened and the 911 call operator arranged for an ambulance to meet them on the highway.

Through a pilot program, paramedics in the Okanagan now have access to expanded cardiac monitoring in their ambulances, according to emergency health service.

The program was launched in 2021 and equips and trains paramedics to get crucial diagnostics of patients faster, allowing them to bypass the Vernon hospital and head to Kelowna for advanced cardiac care.

Don Hagen is one of the paramedics that responded to the 911 call that day.

"Seconds count when you’re dealing with a heart attack," Hagen said in the release. "This program helped us get the patient the lifesaving care he needed the moment he arrived at the hospital."

Once Bigelow arrived at the hospital he underwent an angioplasty - a procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries.

"I am alive because of four people from the B.C. Ambulance Service. If we did not have 9-1-1 on the line when we did, and the paramedics hadn’t met us when they did, I probably wouldn't be alive today," Bigelow said.

According to the release, the B.C. Emergency Health Services receives roughly 56,000 cardiac-related calls each year.

On the day Bigelow had his heart attack, 911 call taker Gregory Vaal answered the call.

"We work like detectives to finesse the medical information we need to paint a clear picture of what has happened or is happening with the patient. As an ambulance 911 call taker, who is also an advanced care paramedic, I quickly realized that the patient was likely experiencing a heart attack," Vaal said in the release. "I stayed on the phone with the caller until she made contact with our paramedics. It was so fulfilling to hear her say that the paramedics were already at the meet point when she arrived."

Paramedics Jeremy Kroeker and Andrew Mcdonald also treated Bigelow that day.

A veteran paramedic, with 27 years of service, Kroeker says helping patients is what paramedics do every day.

"We go to every call providing that level of care and compassion and sometimes we don’t recognize how important it is to patients," Kroeker said. "Staying calm and providing reassurance can make the biggest difference."

Anyone experiencing chest pain should call 911 immediately rather than drive to the hospital or a doctor’s office, according to emergency health service. Paramedics can provide patients with immediate life-saving care that can increase their chances of survival.

"I just admire the way they hold their composure and do their work with compassion. They would say ‘we're just doing our jobs’ but even during the technical issues, they kept their calmness, composure and compassion. I am very grateful to them," Bigelow said.

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