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By Dylana Kneeshaw

AMBULANCE PARAMEDICS OF BC

With record suicide rate in the industry, Ambulance Paramedics of BC point to growing mental health crisis

Aug 5, 2025 | 5:23 PM

BRITISH COLUMBIA — The Union representing paramedics in British Columbia is warning the province of a record number of paramedic suicides so far this year.

According to the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C, nine paramedics have died in the first six months of this year and at least four of those members died by suicide.

“We’ve gone through a lot,” says Nicki Ropp, who is the Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator for the Ambulance Paramedics of BC CUPE Local 873. “Including the opioid crisis, the pandemic, the wildfires, the flooding, the heat dome, the increase in call volume. Last year, we did just around 1 million calls in B.C., and the staffing shortages. And I think that is really affecting (members) and we’re seeing the effects of all of the compounding stuff coming out.”

The situation has resulted in the union calling for a deep dive into how the job of a paramedic has changed. It wants BC Emergency Health Services at the table to figure out how they can respond to the growing rates of stress injuries or mental duress as a result of the intense work.

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“This job is hard. And we know that at some point, the possibility of an injury, an occupational stress injury, is significantly higher than any other job. Yes, I’m surprised by the numbers that we have right now and like I’ve said before, it’s heartbreaking. It’s hard to watch people who we care about suffer. But at the same time I’m not surprised because of the nature of our work,” reiterates Ropp.