Union representing BC ambulance employees says shortages were identified last year, and overdose epidemic is not helping

Paramedics say resources are being stretched to the point that service to the public in general is suffering.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – BC Ambulance Services first responders – like the Vancouver Police and Fire Departments – are feeling the pressure of the opioid overdose crisis in Metro Vancouver.

They say resources are being stretched to the point that service to the public in general is suffering.

Bronwyn Barter is president of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC Union. She notes the BC Emergency Health Service’s Health Commission review in 2015 found that Metropolitan Vancouver and Victoria were 197 ambulances short of meeting demand for services.

“So they added a mere eight additional ambulance resources. There is a huge problem here. Add to that a fentanyl crisis, and we’re maxing out the system here,” she says.

She blames the leadership of the provincially-operated ambulance service for inadequate response to the crisis.

“There seems to be a disconnect in how to run an ambulance service, between what patients need and what the paramedics need.”

Barter says adding dedicated teams to overdose hot spots is but one way of immediately addressing the already stretched resources of BC ambulance services.

She believes such a dedicated paramedic unit could also dispense naloxone, conduct drug testing, and make referrals.