The Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) is welcoming a new physician to its ranks.
Dr. Brock Browett, a resident physician and experienced paramedic, is joining the organization as an emergency response physician in training.
KERPA founder Dr. Nic Sparrow said Browett brings a unique background to the team and is expected to help strengthen coverage for critical 911 calls across the region.
“He has 10 years of being a paramedic on the streets of Ontario and has moved to the Kootenays and is on the residency program and going to be working with us to provide pre-hospital care to critically injured patients in the Kootenays.”
Browett was recently onboarded into KERPA’s training program, which Sparrow said operates under an accredited framework comparable to major air ambulance services.
“We’re accredited as a special operations medical retrieval service and we’re accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services,” Sparrow explained.
“To put that into perspective, STARS Air Ambulance are accredited by CAIMES, and we have the same accreditation in the ground form.”
KERPA is currently the only special operations organization in Canada operating physician-led ground response units, which requires it to offer an extensive training program.
“We’ve developed a rigorous training program. There’s a number of courses that need to be done before you to even step into the training to align with the National Association of EMS Physician Guidelines and CAINS guidelines,” Sparrow said.
Training also includes up to 400 hours of mentorship, with physicians required to meet national and international core competencies before responding independently.
With the addition of Browett, KERPA now has three physicians, including Sparrow.
While the organization is not expanding its service area at this point, Sparrow said having more physicians increases the likelihood a doctor is available when a critical call comes in.
“We’re still working on responding into the Trail area, there’s quite a lot of red tape that needs to be got through. But more physicians mean we should have more coverage of physicians being actually able to respond because we can only respond when we’re available.”
KERPA is entirely volunteer-run. Sparrow emphasized that physicians are not paid for their work and the organization does not bill the Medical Services Plan or the province.
“We’re doing it for free and there’s a lot of training and a lot of commitment that’s required, and it takes a certain personality type who just sort of has this in their blood to go and do it,” he said.
The time commitment expected of KERPA responders has made recruitment challenging, though Sparrow said it remains a priority as he works to ensure the organization remains viable for years to come.
“We are always recruiting and hoping to continue to grow this resource. I hope that for many years after I retire, we will have KERPA as a support in this region,” he said.
“That’s my goal and I think it’s my life purpose. So for as long as I live, I’m going to be trying to help critically ill and injured patients in this community.”
Sparrow reiterated the goal of KERPA is to help critically ill and injured patients in the region, as well as first responders.
“That’s the reason why this charity exists. We’re not interested in turf war, we’re not interested in competition, we are patient focused and about saving lives and helping people who are really badly injured or hurt in our community.”
KERPA is also preparing to replace one of its response vehicles this year as it looks to maintain operational capacity.
Sparrow said the organization plans to retire its original 2009 Tahoe and finance a newer vehicle, which would bring the fleet to three vehicles, though only two would be operational at a given time.
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