B.C. paramedics respond to record number of overdose calls due to toxic drugs

Paramedics in B.C. responded to nearly a hundred calls each day last year as a result of the ongoing toxic drug and overdose crisis.

The 35,525 calls in 2021 is a record high, and represents an increase of 31 per cent from 2020, according to BC Emergency Health Services. Calls increased in all five health authorities during what has been the deadliest year since a public health emergency was declared due to a poisoned drug supply in 2016.

RELATED: More people died in B.C. from illicit drugs this year than ever before

Troy Clifford with the Ambulance and Paramedics Union of B.C. says it’s important to remember that behind every one of those calls, underlying each grim statistic is a human being.

“What those numbers reflect is that’s somebody’s life, that’s somebody’s loved one — and it’s not getting better,” he says.

“We’re seeing seven people dying every day across this province.”

The statistics are in and call takers and paramedics responded to 35,525 overdose calls in 2021 – highest number ever recorded in BC. When BCEHS #paramedics respond to an overdose, the patient has a 95% chance of survival. For full BC overdose data: https://t.co/h7U3oBtUok pic.twitter.com/pPo3QVMH3P

— BC Emergency Health Services (@BC_EHS) January 12, 2022

While Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health — the populous health regions in the province — saw the highest number of calls, Clifford says there is not a single community that has not been impacted. With people more isolated during the pandemic, Clifford says they are seeing more “tragic situations” of people using alone.

“Sadly, these situations have become part of our normal — every day. We expect to have overdoses every day,” Clifford says.

“Usually in the bigger centres where you’re doing back-to-back calls the whole shift, you can see multiple overdoses on the shift.”

Nearly one third of paramedics, dispatchers experiencing psychological injury 

In addition to the sheer scope of the loss to families and communities, the psychological toll is weighing heavily on first responders. Clifford says this is being compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, persistent staffing issues, and pressure on the system due to other crises in the province, like the summer’s deadly heat dome.

“A lot of paramedics are tired, they’re fatigued, they’ve been under a lot of pressure working short-staffed. Dispatchers are working short-staffed, and we’re seeing psychological injuries more than we’ve ever seen. Our resilience is amazing, but it’s definitely affecting our well-being. It’s hard,” he says.

“We’re seeing these tragic situations and that’s causing that psychological impact. We’re seeing more people off seeking treatment for PTSD and workplace occupational injuries.”

Clifford says according to numbers from WorkSafe BC, 30 per cent of paramedics and dispatchers are either in treatment, seeking treatment, or on leave because of psychological injury.

“That’s indicative of what we’re experiencing, and the pressures that we’ve seen in the last couple years.”

Staffing shortages still leaving ambulances empty

Clifford says he’s still waiting to see a resolution to the staffing and funding issues specific to the ambulance service.

“We don’t have enough ambulances, we don’t have enough dispatchers to answer emergency calls to provide the care we know we should. That’s putting an incredible moral injury on our staff,” he tells CityNews.

Exacerbating the staffing issues are difficulty with the recruitment of new people to the profession, and challenges with compensation particularly in remote communities where they are paid $2 an hour to be on call, and only make more if they respond to calls. Anywhere from 20 to 40 per cent of ambulances are out of service in the province.

“We just don’t have enough paramedics fill the seats.”

While paramedics administer life-saving care to people who use drugs, sometimes attending to the same person on multiple occasions — Clifford says this is not a solution or a sustainable response to the crisis.

“That’s where I think we need to look at different ways as a society to really address safe supply, all these questions that are out there that are bigger than the ambulance service,” he says.

“We know that the best place for addiction and mental health is not in the emergency systems. We need to get better support in the community. Better awareness, better education, more rehabilitation, and prevention.”

The province’s moves to bring in a safe supply of drugs so people do not have to rely on the illicit market, and to pursue decriminalization of simple drug possession have been harshly criticized by advocates who say the moves fall far short of meeting the urgency of the moment.