Three quarters of B.C. still without full-time ambulance service amidst two health crises, says CUPE 873
VANCOUVER – As ambulance paramedics approach their busiest season, the Ambulance Paramedics of BC (CUPE 873) have warned the public of a “triple threat.”
The union representing the province’s 4,500 ambulance paramedics and medical dispatchers says that COVID19 protocols may compound mental health and addiction issues during the holidays – a time of year that can already be lonely for people – and emergency care for patients may be impacted due to critically low staffing among paramedics and dispatchers.
“Shift vacancy is the highest it has ever been,” says Shane Sander, a primary care paramedic in Surrey. “When we come to work, the first question we ask one another is: ‘How many ambulances will stay parked today due to staffing shortages?’ The holidays will certainly test ambulance resources and resilience.”
CUPE 873 President Troy Clifford says that physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion have set in among ambulance paramedics and dispatchers.
“We are coming on to one year of responding to the global pandemic and almost five years since the province declared an overdose emergency,” says Clifford.
“These double health crises are already threatening our frontline emergency medical services, and the triple threat is that our profession is experiencing recruitment issues and an increase in stress leave, which has created a critical shortage of staff. We are worried about members of the public feeling greater isolation over the holidays or using drugs alone and not having access to immediate medical care and transport to hospital.”
Last week, the BC Coroners Service revealed that 162 people died of overdoses in October—a rate of five deaths per day. APBC is asking the public to frequently check in with family and friends who may be vulnerable and encourage anyone who may be using drugs to do it with someone else present.
Seventy-five per cent of B.C. does not have full-time ambulance service
In addition to burnout, says Clifford, retention and recruitment are at a breaking point.
“What British Columbians may not know is that 75 per cent of the province relies on an on-call service model, meaning there’s no full-time ambulance service. This model makes retention and recruitment of paramedics a challenge because they don’t get meaningful compensation – only $2 per hour during an on-call shift with the hourly wage increasing only if they tend to an emergency or transfer a patient between health facilities.”
Although there are significant staffing shortages in urban and metropolitan areas, there is a major shortage in rural, remote and indigenous communities, says CUPE 873. On-call paramedics cannot support their families, so they choose to move on to other professions.
Because ambulance paramedics have the most advanced lifesaving skills and training among frontline responders – and the only ones who can transport to hospital – Clifford says that resolving staffing shortages needs to be a government priority.
Too many shifts left vacant
In October and November, APBC says there were communities who each had more than 50 vacant paramedic shifts, leaving them with no immediate ambulance response on some days.
“I was on shift every day from September 3 to October 16 to ensure that my community had coverage. This is not sustainable,” says paramedic Kristi Schmitz, who works in the rural community of Haida Gwaii.
APBC says that paramedics and medical dispatchers are having to do significant overtime to cover shifts. Frequently, they work their entire shift going to back-to-back emergencies without a break or downtime, only to do it all over again. Being a paramedic requires physical, mental, and emotional resilience, as medical emergencies can be chaotic with family members witnessing it all unfold and time being critical.
“Our colleagues are incredibly resilient, but the stresses paramedics and dispatchers are facing are at an all-time high. More than ever, we are seeing them reach out for help because their coping skills are being tested and they are psychologically exhausted,” says APBC’s Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator Lindsay Kellosalmi.
