'Appreciation and gratitude': Toronto couple thank Calgary fire crew for treating and transporting daughter to hospital
'Appreciation and gratitude': Toronto couple thank Calgary fire crew for treating and transporting daughter to hospital
A Toronto couple expressed appreciation and gratitude for the fire fighters who treated and transported their three-year-old daughter to Children's hospital over the weekend.
The child suffered a serious fall and the fire department said it had no choice but to transport the child itself, because there was no ambulance available to help.
"Two days before that we were in Jasper," said Daniel Langdon, the father of Tara. "We were planning to go to Drumheller after Calgary or somewhere along the way. It could have happened anywhere in Alberta. Thank God it happened in Westmount and we were able to get to Alberta Children's Hospital."
Visiting from Toronto, little Tara and her parents were staying with friends in northwest Calgary when the young girl fell, hit her head, then began to seizure.
Calgary Fire fighters arrived first, providing medical care.
They said 911 couldn't provide an ETA on an ambulance.
They called an on-duty doctor to get emergency advice, and were told to get the girl to hospital right away.
She was loaded into the fire truck which isn't equipped for patients.
Paramedics showed up a minute after the fire crew left, 20 minutes after the first 911 call.
The couple said their hearts sank upon learning paramedics weren’t on their way, but are grateful fire crews were ready to do whatever was necessary to help their daughter.
"We're so glad that they did," Langdon said. "We got Alberta Children's Hospital (and) they had a team ready for us, and her oxygen had been really low so it was very critical that she got there as soon as possible, so we were very thankful that she got the care she needed."
The little girl is doing much better. Tuesday, she was smiling with her new friends at the fire hall.
Tonight they are staying with family in Edmonton to give Tara more time to recover.
Yesterday, Calgary Fire chief Steve Dongworth called out Alberta Health Services, calling its EMS response system broken, and that this latest example is proof of that.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Intelligence memo flagged possible 'violent revenge' after Ottawa protest shutdown
Newly disclosed documents show federal intelligence officials warned decision-makers that the police dispersal of 'Freedom Convoy' protesters in Ottawa last winter could prompt an 'opportunistic attack' against a politician or symbol of government.

Majority of Canadians say sexual misconduct is a big issue in youth hockey: survey
Amid allegations of sexual assaults involving members of past Canadian men’s world junior hockey teams, Canadians say sexual misconduct remains a concerning issue within the sport’s culture.
Trump's angry words spur warnings of real violence
A growing number of ardent Donald Trump supporters seem ready to strike back against the FBI or others who they believe go too far in investigating the former U.S. president.
More than half of Canadians say the pandemic negatively impacted their children: report
A new report has found that more than half of Canadian parents report 'negative impacts' on their children after two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Increased loneliness, isolation a side effect of inflation for Canadian seniors
Canadian seniors are being forced to make tough choices, cutting out frills and nice-to-haves in the face of near 40-year-high inflation rates. But older adults also face a unique, less-talked-about challenge — the increased social isolation that experts say often occurs as a result of high inflation.
Why is ArriveCan still mandatory, and what is Ottawa's plan for the app?
The glitch-prone app touted as an efficient border tool early in the pandemic has become a punching bag for critics who question its utility -- but ArriveCan may be here to stay.
Trump foe Liz Cheney defeated in Wyoming GOP primary
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, Donald Trump's fiercest Republican adversary in Congress, was defeated in a GOP primary Tuesday, falling to a rival backed by the former president in a rout that reinforced his grip on the party's base.
Parents will need a prescription for some children's liquid medication, SickKids warns
Parents of young children may need a prescription for over-the-counter fever and pain medication due to a shortage at some pharmacies, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children is warning.
Crimea 'sabotage' highlights Russia's woes in Ukraine war
A spate of explosions and a fire that was still burning Wednesday have turned Russian-annexed Crimea from a secure base for the further invasion of Ukraine into the latest flashpoint highlighting Moscow's challenges ahead in a war that is nearing the half-year mark.