Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

ENHANCED AMBULANCE SERVICE

Kamloops and surrounding rural communities grateful for paramedic hires, 24/7 ambulance service

Sep 15, 2021 | 4:35 PM

KAMLOOPS — This week, the B.C. government announced enhanced ambulance services for rural and urban communities in the province. The change comes with an ongoing hiring push for more paramedics and dispatchers in B.C.

Alongside a previously announced push to hire new 30 dispatchers and 85 new paramedics in B.C., this week the province announced enhanced ambulance services for dozens of communities — including Kamloops.

“Of that 85 additional full time positions, eight of them are adding another 24-hour ambulance in Kamloops.” notes Troy Clifford, President of the Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatchers of B.C. “That’s going to be on the North Shore, based out of our station on the North Shore there.”

The upcoming 24/7 ambulance service is of particular importance to rural communities who often have patients taken to the tertiary hospital in Kamloops. Clearwater, Lillooet, Ashcroft and Barriere are among the communities who will have their ambulance stations converted from on-call staffing.

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“It’s good news,” says Barriere Mayor Ward Stamer. “I mean, we’ve gone from what was a scheduled on-call, and full time scheduled on-call, to now — they’re calling it a 24/7 Alpha station. And so that gives us eight full-time positions.”

However, Stamer says existing positions filled by emergency medical responders (EMR) will be changed to primary care paramedic (PCP) positions. With that, the mayor feels current EMRs should have been given some additional time to upgrade their credentials.

“The bottom line is we will get better coverage because we’re on a 24/7; the flip side is the EMRs are now going to be asked to do on-call. I’m not entirely convinced they’re going to be receptive to that.”

But ultimately, Stamer says Barriere and surrounding rural areas will benefit from the changes.

“There’s been times in the past where our ambulance is sitting in Little Fort — which is 20 miles away. And it’s sitting there to cover Clearwater and Barriere. That’s our ambulance. Hopefully with the 24/7 we’ll have more coverage and more critical care available, but the proof will be in the pudding when that actually occurs.”

Clifford says Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatchers of B.C. are relieved to see upcoming improvements, and moving forward they’re hoping to build on both paramedic and dispatch recruitment.

“The other big area that needs to be addressed, and as you know in Kamloops we have one of the three provincial communications centres, our ambulance dispatch is based out of Kamloops and they’ve added some dispatchers but we really need to add considerably more so that people aren’t on hold waiting for 9-1-1 when they call for an ambulance.”

Part of this recruitment effort will include enhanced mental health injury supports for paramedics and Clifford says they’re close to finalizing a comprehensive mental health and wellness plan for their members.

The B.C. government says the transition to 24/7 ambulance stations will begin next month with the new positions expected to be filled between October and December.