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2 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2007 Celebrating 50 Years Open House at St. Albans Saturday, June 9 1-4pm Please join us. Best Wishes Only Mary & Andy Anderson June 8 1957- June 8 2007 June is Colourful at for the month of June we are having a 30% sale on FOIL HIGHLITES Reg $70 + up To welcome our new stylist Laura. Walk-ins always welcome 32 Mill St. E., Acton Ontario 519-853-0140 By Frances Niblock Eight minutes, 25 sec- onds. Nine times out of 10. Those numbers could be as vital to your health as your heart rate and pulse in a medical emergency because they indicate how fast an ambulance may get to your door. Last year, nine times out of 10, Halton Emer- gency Medical Services (EMS) paramedics got to Acton calls within that 8:25 timeframe, besting the Halton-wide rural/urban average of just under 10 minutes. Were well under the standard for the Acton area, said Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Director Jim King recently. We like to have good numbers, he said. In 2005, calls for the Acton station were an- swered, on average, in nine minutes and 21 seconds. One of the first things King did when he came to Halton in 1999 was to extend full EMS cover- age to Acton. The station on Churchill Road covers 300-square-kilometres of territory, including some of neighbouring Wellington County. The Acton station re- sponded to 2,626 calls last year, up six per cent over the year before. The top three reasons for calls were respiratory problems, car- diac problems and motor vehicle collisions. Halton has 150 full and part-time EMS workers. King said approximately half of all full-time para- medics have advanced training that allows them to carry controlled medi- cations and perform more procedures, including in- tubation. We try to make sure that we keep at least one advance care paramedic on duty in each community, but it depends on the makeup of the crews that are on that day, King said, adding su- pervisors and first response units are also available to respond to calls. King said while they have run into trouble with off- loading EMS workers having to wait with patients at a hospital, sometimes for hours, while hospital offi- cials try to admit the patient it is not yet a significant issue in Georgetown. It impacts our ability to respond, so we try to ne- gotiate a bed as fast as we can, King said, adding off- loading will also be an issue in fast-growing Milton. Last year, Halton EMS team responded to 50,000- plus calls from 11 stations. The annual operating bud- get of the Acton station is $1.1-million. Great response for Acton Ambulance Hot dogs, cold drinks, interactive computer games and a bike rodeo are all part of the line-up for the annual Risk Watch Summer Safety Blitz at the Churchill Road Fire Station in Acton on Saturday . Organizers say the blitz, set to run from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., promises a lot of fun for people of all ages. But its also a chance to help children and their parents understand how to prevent injuries and make safe, smart choices, said Harry Olivieri, the towns chief of fire prevention and public education. The Risk Watch Blitz will host activities includ- ing a bike helmet inspection clinic, bike rodeo, water safety, fire and burn preven- tion, poisoning and choking prevention, falls prevention and school bus safety. The program was de- veloped by the National Fire Protection Association and endorsed by the Fire Marshals Public Safety Council, said town fire safe- ty specialist David Ford. This years program will also look at farm equipment safety, ATVs and boating. There will also be a Home Alone Program, where, by appointment, parents and children 10-14 can take part in a classroom session looking at when kids are old enough to be left alone. Halton Regional Police, Halton EMS and Represen- tatives from O.P.P. will also be on hand. To register or for more information, call 905-877- 2238 ext. 8422. Risk Watch hosts safety blitz Saturday ??? ?? ??????? ???? Call Betty Ann 853-1944 TANNER ADS PAY!