Quietly standing in the alcove, under an awning or in a tent, the St. John Ambulance brigade volunteers provide an essential service to Prince George residents pretty much wherever a crowd gathers.
But no one really notices them until they're needed.
The brigade, made up of members of the community including students, paramedics and nurses, are the group of medical first responders who attend concerts, hockey games, the annual fall fair, homes shows and any other events where many people gather. In 2015, the St. John Ambulance service in Prince George provided more than 2,600 volunteer hours to the community at public events and thousands more during the Canada Winter Games.
"Basically we are on site so everyone can have peace of mind that if something were to happen, we are there to facilitate pre-hospital care to anyone hurt on scene," said Eric Peng, divisional superintendent for the local brigade.
"We don't put our services out there for a fee, instead we offer our services for donations in kind."
If organizations do give monetary donations the funds go to replenish supplies and continue to train members, Peng added.
"All our volunteers are trained to a minimum level of advanced medical first responder," said Peng.
When volunteers are brand new and only have the minimum of a standard first aid certificate, they are always under the guidance of a medical first responder, he added.
The St. John Ambulance brigade is looking to raise funds for an ambulance - it won't be a brand new $140,000 ambulance but a reconditioned $50,000 unit which meets the standards set by the province.
"The reason behind why we want this ambulance is because in Prince George we have such a long period in a cold climate we need a place to treat patients in a more controlled environment," said Peng.
"So if we were to go out to the upcoming Prince George Iceman competition and someone was to get injured we need a place to treat them that's warm and not outside where it's cold and they are exposed to more risks because of it."
Having the ambulance allows the brigade to further their patient care.
"In addition to that it also acts as a beacon and a lot of people will see our ambulance and if something does happen in the event of an emergency people will know that's us and will seek out our help," said Peng.
Prince George Search and Rescue also requires first responders on site during their large searches and the local St. John Ambulance hopes to assist with that, he added.
"As soon as we can get our hands on an ambulance we can have our volunteers go out with Search and Rescue and help them provide cover while they are on a search," said Peng.
Along with anticipated support from the City of Prince George, and commitments from the Canadian Home Builders Association of Northern BC and WestJet, the local St. John Ambulance is hosting a recently-launched gofundme page at gofundme.com/SJAPrinceGeorge.
"This is an online platform for individuals who wish to help us reach our goal," said Peng.
