B.C. paramedics sound alarm on ‘deplorable’ staffing issues, delays this weekend

The union representing B.C. paramedics is warning there are not enough staff to deal with demand this weekend, and says Maple Ridge will have no staffed ambulances Saturday.

The Ambulance Paramedics Of BC (APBC) says on a Facebook post Saturday that ambulances in the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver area are desperately understaffed.

Provincial President Troy Clifford says that this weekend continues a trend across B.C. that seems endless.

“On Friday night we had many Advanced Life Support ambulances sitting empty all night, and today we continue to see deplorable non-staffed Ambulances in the Fraser Valley as well,” said Clffiord in a statement. “We are urging the public to be aware that there could be significant delays in service, and use 911 when someone’s health or safety is at risk, use 811 when unsure.”

In a statement on their website, APBC says there simply is not enough staff to deal with demand.

“Every corner of BC is suffering from unprecedented staffing, recruitment and retention issues. We do not have enough paramedics and dispatchers to meet the call volume and demand for service.  We have never seen our ability to respond to patients in their time of need be in such peril.”

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Earlier in the month, Clifford said the ongoing staffing shortage on the frontline had hit a crisis point. He said there are not enough paramedics or ambulances on the road to get to every call in a timely manner.

He added, like most industries in B.C., they’re struggling to recruit and retain staff.

“We’re about 50 per cent full-time and part-time in this province right now. We have almost 1,000 vacancies across the province in rural, remote, metro, and urban centres and that’s actual positions — we need to hire that many paramedics.”

“Those spikes when you’re already running at bare bones capacity, or less, we don’t have the capacity to absorb those spikes and those additional calls, so it’s definitely challenging for us.”

“The other big thing is really making sure we’re looking after the well-being of the paramedics and the responders because if we’re not healthy, mind and body, we can’t get to those patients and that’s not good.”

With files from Sonia Aslam