A group of paramedics are petitioning to have their work deemed an essential service in B.C., putting them in line with police and firefighters when it comes to labour negotiations.

The designation would give paramedics the right to request binding arbitration instead of striking, a move many are hesitant to consider given the life-saving nature of their duties.

"It will prevent the ambulance service from ever having a labour dispute," said Troy Gienger, who has worked as a paramedic in the province for 22 years.

Gienger said there has been unrest among paramedics for years, but it's coming to a head as the province's overdose epidemic stretches their resources to the limit.

"With the recent fentanyl overdoses, call volumes are astronomical. They're just going up tenfold," he said. "This is all playing into why this needs to happen now."

Their last strike took place in 2009, and lasted seven months until they were legislated back to work by the province.

In the years since, paramedics have repeatedly sounded the alarm about delayed response times, which their union recently claimed have become a daily occurrence across B.C.

Earlier this month, a paralyzed man was forced to wait nearly 40 minutes for an ambulance to reach his Vancouver home.

Paramedics are currently lumped together with hundreds of hospital workers, including admitting clerks and cleaners, which some feel limits their ability to negotiate for their own interests.

It also lets them strike and allows their employer to legally lock them out.

The petition, which was launched this month through Elections B.C., would amend the Fire and Police Services Collective Bargaining Act to include both paramedics and their dispatchers.

For it to be successful, the campaigners will have to gather signatures from 10 per cent of registered voters in each of the province's 85 ridings within 90 days. At that point the government would have the option of enacting the amendments or putting the matter to a referendum, as it did with the Harmonized Sales Tax in 2011.

The Ministry of Health declined to comment on the petition Tuesday, arguing it would be inappropriate to take a stance on either side.

At this point, no ambulance service in Canada carries an essential service designation, but Gienger said that could change if their campaign is a success.

"This is precedent setting," he said. "Hopefully we'll be able to create a cascade effect."