Staffing shortages left Maple Ridge with zero ambulances Saturday morning

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Staffing shortages on the B.C. Ambulance Service left town of Maple Ridge with no ambulances to reply emergency calls Saturday morning, based on the union that represents paramedics.

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The Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. wrote in a submit printed on Fb that they have been “sounding the alarm” concerning the variety of unstaffed ambulances throughout Metro Vancouver and the Decrease Mainland.

“ZERO ambulance (sic) staffed in Maple Ridge at the moment,” based on the submit.

“You’re not going to anticipate to have a full time ambulance in your doorstep in some distant location,” mentioned Troy Clifford, president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. “However you do anticipate it in city and bigger rural communities.”

Clifford mentioned the province hasn’t expanded paramedic care so as to add the extra stations wanted to match inhabitants progress within the area.

“The Fraser Valley is a very hard-hit spot” with respect to staffing he mentioned. “Nevertheless it’s all around the province.”

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Ambulances are based mostly in most Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley cities and they’re incessantly dispatched throughout municipal boundaries.

“B.C. Emergency Well being Companies (BCEHS) sends the closest obtainable ambulance to 911 medical emergencies,” Andrea Visscher, a communications officer with the Provincial Well being Companies Authority, wrote in an e mail.

“When we now have ambulances out of service, we are able to dispatch ambulances from surrounding areas.”

Clifford acknowledged that BCEHS have “moved ambulances throughout.”

“However if you’re so quick staffed all around the space, you don’t have a number of sources to maneuver round,” he mentioned.

Clifford mentioned there was a “large disparity” between the wages and advantages provided to paramedics in comparison with different professions like cops, firefighters and well being care professionals, which has affected the flexibility to draw new workers.

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“We’re not aggressive concerning wages and advantages and that’s hurting our capability to recruit,” Clifford mentioned. 

E-Comm, B.C.’s emergency communications centre, predicted this yr would see a 12 per cent enhance in all 911 calls (together with police, hearth and ambulance), in comparison with 2021.

“We’re seeing a few of the highest emergency name volumes we’ve skilled in our 23 years of service,” E-Comm spokeswoman Jasmine Bradley mentioned in June.

Elevated name quantity and years of not holding tempo with demand and demographics have left B.C.’s paramedics in a “dire” state of affairs, Clifford mentioned. 

The state of affairs is the most recent signal of stress within the BCEHS, which has been below hearth for the reason that lethal warmth wave final July that left greater than 600 British Columbians useless, many who spent hours ready for ambulances.

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Well being Minister Adrian Dix shook up senior administration on the BCEHS final summer season and bolstered the service with extra money to rent 85 new full-time paramedics and put 22 new ambulances into service. 

Visscher mentioned the general public can assist by solely calling 911 for emergencies and by calling 811 for twenty-four/7 common well being recommendation or to talk with a registered nurse.

— With a file from Derrick Penner and Lori Culbert.

ngriffiths@postmedia.com

twitter.com/njgriffiths

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