Vehicle for collection of dead will free ambulance service
Last Updated: Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 8:48 AM ET
CBC News
The P.E.I. government is outfitting a half-ton truck to pick up bodies in Queens County in order to keep the ambulance service free to respond to emergencies.
'Obviously their main concern is trying to respond to emergency situations involving living people.'— Deputy attorney general Edison Shea
The truck will only be used in cases where the coroner is called to the scene, and will only operate in Queens County. Currently, that work is done by an ambulance and crew, but the province's deputy attorney general Edison Shea told CBC News Wednesday it doesn't make sense to send an ambulance to pick up a body.
"EMS has been providing this service for the past number of years. They expressed concern about doing this," said Shea.
"Obviously their main concern is trying to respond to emergency situations involving living people, and this service takes away from that."
Shea said coroners respond to about 250 cases a year on P.E.I. About 150 of those are in Queens County. Funeral homes handle pickups in the other two counties, but Shea said they weren't interested in the job in Queens.
The province is in discussions with the P.E.I. Firefighters Association to have firefighters operate the vehicle. Shea said they would be given special training.
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