‘Toughest time they’ve ever worked’: One year after heat dome, paramedic shortage remains

The first heat wave of the year is bringing back difficult memories of last year’s unprecedented heat dome in B.C.

Troy Clifford, provincial president with Ambulance Paramedics of BC, says the lack of staff made the heat dome an incredible challenge for paramedics.

“The challenges that some of them saw, like not having enough ambulances and not having enough dispatchers to answer calls, and seeing those calls holding and holding for up to 12 and 14 hours. (That was) incredible pressure that was put on them.”

Clifford says paramedics are still facing staffing hurdles, and also are facing trauma from what they experienced.

“There are still people that are off to this day as a result of the psychological injuries as a result of (the heat dome),” he says.

“Most paramedics and dispatchers talk about how that was the toughest time they’ve ever worked in their careers,” he adds. “The pressures of not enough staff and shortages are definitely taking its toll on paramedics and dispatchers.”

Clifford said despite the trauma that patients and paramedics both experienced during the heat dome, he thinks there is more readiness this year.

“I think the key thing is people are recognizing and better prepared now, which is a good thing. None of us saw that coming last year.”

Clifford says while more full-time staff have been added, they still need more help.

“Our staffing situation … I would argue it’s gotten worse or no better than it was a year ago, and that’s just our inability to recruit paramedics into the profession.”

“There’s lots of communities that their health centers are getting shut down, or they don’t have emergency capacity. And that puts pressure on the ambulance service. So we need to make sure we can respond.”

Adding, “a lot of communities we are the only health care in town. So they rely on the ambulance service. And if we’re not staffed appropriately, we can’t pick up that slack.”

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Earlier in the month, the BC Coroners Service released a report about the more than 600 heat-related deaths from last year’s heat wave.

The death-panel report called for a coordinated heat-alert system in British Columbia to prevent loss of life in hot-weather emergencies similar to the event last summer.

The BC Coroners Service report came a day after the provincial government announced a two-stage heat response system to help people and communities stay safe as temperatures rise and the threat of heat-related emergencies increase.

“Seeing that report last week really triggered a lot of people and it brought back a lot of memories that were not a good experience,” says Clifford.

Michael Egilson, the chair of the death-panel review, says it’s important to focus both on the immediate threat and on longer-term prevention strategies and the report includes measures for both.

Record temperatures surpassed 40 C for days in last summer’s heat dome across the province, resulting in 619 heat-related deaths, most of them elderly and vulnerable people living in buildings without air conditioning.

The panel report says 98 per cent of those who died last summer were indoors and most victims “lived in socially or materially deprived neighbourhoods” compared with the general population.

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The heat that’s settling into the Lower Mainland this weekend  has prompted special weather statements for all but a few regions of the province.

Areas farther inland in the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions are set to see daytime highs rise into the low 30s, though Environment Canada saying overnight lows will fall into the mid-teen range. Closer to the water, temperatures are expected to hover in the mid to high 20s.

The agency warns of elevated risks of heat-related illness as the mercury rises. It notes there is also expected to be an increase and snowmelt and snowpack instability, adding “increased stream flows due to run-off are probable.”

“Health authorities are working with care homes to ensure heat plans are in place, as well as community health workers to ensure vulnerable clients are supported,” says a provincial statement.

The provincial government said British Columbians should take precautions this weekend with “warmer-than-average temperatures are expected to begin Friday, June 24, and last through June 28, 2022.”

With files from Hana Mae Nassar