Tactical Medical Service trucks answer calls for clients all over the province
NANAIMO – As a medic, Eric Brand didn’t like the way he was treated in the field, so he made a tactical decision to form his own company in 2023.
Thus Tactical Medical Service (TMS) began, providing private medical ambulance transportation services on Central Vancouver Island. Today, the company covers all of B.C., Alberta and the Yukon with 56 employees and 12 vehicles, with their head office at 22619 Melodi Wood Way in Nanaimo. They also have a satellite office in Grand Prairie, AB, and recently added a base in Smithers.
“We work for any private company that is more than 20 minutes away from definitive health care where their risk area is high,” says Brand. “We are working on the Trans Mountain Pipeline and have government contracts as well, and we do transfers for private citizens and special events.
“We look after everything from gold mines and wild fires, to highways and infrastructure projects, he notes, adding that includes oil fields, the energy sector and the wind farms.
TMS had been working on a Vancouver Island forest fire a few month back, and Brand adds that “if you’re driving up or down the highway anywhere between Kamloops and Cranbrook, there’s a good chance you’ll see one of our vehicles out there, ready to help.”
Brand is a Primary Care Paramedic with Alberta Health Services and is a crew member with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and HIS Rescue. Along with his partners, which include his wife, Ashley, Nick Fortin and Nick Barrett, they have more than 75 years of experience delivering emergency patient care in some of the most challenging environments.
A Tactical Medical Service emergency vehicle on site
Tactical Medical Service provides service for a variety of private events and functions
As a Canadian Forces veteran, Brand likes to hire other veterans and assist them on their road to civilian life.
“I wanted people to work for TMS to be better when they left than when they started with us,” he explains. “I wanted people to work for TMS because they wanted to, not because they had to. We are happy to consider veterans who are looking for work, and training can be made available.”
The TMS medical personnel includes First Aiders, Occupational First Aiders, Emergency Medical Assistant First Responders and Assistants, Primary Care and Advanced Care Paramedics, A Tactical Medical Service emergency vehicle on site and Registered Nurses. Odyssey Medical provides medical direction for TMS.
“We provide very good service, and we specialize in primary levels of care,” Brand notes. “Our ambulances carry up to 56 different medications, and our Primary Care Paramedics have upwards of 20 medications on board. There’s a significant amount of extra that we put into our operation, and people come away satisfied when we’ve assisted them.”
Working on the Trans Mountain Pipeline has enabled the company to grow tenfold in the last few years, and they’ve just invested in seven new ambulances.
Brand notes that increase allows the company to sponsor important community events, like Cycle For Life, the Edgewood Treatment Centre’s 5K Fun Run in Nanaimo, and the Port Alberni Toy Run.
“We’re where I wanted us to be now,” he says.