Hatzoloh responders are required to have the following:

Certification & Training

Emergency Medical Responder Certification

Under the supervision of Robert J. Burgess, Senior Manager, Sunnybrook & Women’s College Health Sciences Centre Division of Pre-hospital Care, our responders received the designation of Emergency Medical Responder (EMR). The responders of Hatzoloh Toronto are proud to be the first group in Ontario to receive certification in this new program.

Each responder is certified as an EMR/D, which requires the responder to undergo 250 hours of training and recognizes our competency in the following areas:

Emergency patient care
C.P.R.
Patient immobilization
Oxygen therapy
Basic trauma life support
Defibrillation
Non-emergency patient care

Recently, Hatzoloh Toronto has upgraded its capabilities by including training for:

Administration of EPI pens, aspirin and ventolin
Blood glucose testing

Ontario Paramedic Association

All Hatzoloh Toronto responders are members of the Ontario Paramedic Association. We are the only volunteer organization to have been accorded such membership and we are very proud to belong to such a distinguished organization.

Ongoing Training

As part of our continuing education programs, our responders are required toperform clinical observations in Emergency Rooms and go for ride-a-longs in ambulances. During the SARS epidemic and the difficulty in procuring emergency room time and ride-a-longs, we sent some of our members to New York in order to obtain such training. Our responders are also required to attend mandatory lectures on different medical issues approximately once a month and must be recertified as EMRs every two years. Our responders must attend these programs and must successfully complete the EMR recertification examinations in order to retain their EMR status. Continuing education and clinical observation in both ambulance and Emergency Room settings help keep our responders’ training current.

Hatzoloh Toronto uses mannequins that enable Hatzoloh responders to simulate emergencies and conduct comprehensive training.

Equipment

Each Hatzoloh responder is equipped with a two way radio, an oxygen bag and a trauma bag. The contents of the bags are as follows:

Oxygen bag
O2 tank and all necessary oxygen delivery systems (adult, pediatric, nasal)
3 bag valve masks for all respiratory/cardiac arrests. (adult, pediatric and infant)
Suction unit
6 sizes of airways
BP cuff kit
Stethoscope
Several different sizes of cervical collars
Glucose and Asherman chest seal

Trauma kit

Ice
Gloves
Proper safety equipment, such as goggles, masks, gowns and heavy-duty gloves
Saline
Burn kit
Assorted bandages
Splint kit
OB kit

In addition, we have equipped several responders in each neighbourhood with semiautomatic defibrillators.