911 calls soar amid B.C. heat wave
The province’s 911 service saw a massive increase in year-over-year 911 calls this past weekend, highlighting the impact weather can have on emergency services.
As with other first responders, E-Comm 911 had anticipated a busy weekend with warm weather in the forecast, and had scheduled more staff to keep up with the expected demand.
“We did see a 61 per cent increase in 911 call volumes compared to the weekend similar in May of last year,” said communications manager, Kaila Butler. “It was a busy weekend across the board.”
Last year, B.C. had an unusually cool and wet May, so the call volumes were lower, likely due to fewer people doing yard work, getting injured in recreational activities, or grappling with record-setting heat.
Butler says they have dedicated workforce analysts crunching the numbers and weighing weather conditions, special events, and other factors that could impact demand on the 911 dispatch centre which re-routes calls to police agencies, fire departments, and BC Emergency Health Services; another section of E-Comm handles dispatch for the VPD.
While BC EHS did not have exact statistics on overall call volume, they observed a massive jump in calls for heat-related illness. In the first two weeks of May, they’ve had 54 calls, 38 of them this past weekend. Last year, they had only 10 for the entire month.
“A big, change from last year, certainly, from last May to this May,” said paramedic information officer, Brian Twaites, noting they didn’t have a big spike in calls.
He also says their staffing levels and response plan went smoothly and they did not have to call in extra paramedics and dispatchers given the stable demand. Heat-related calls accounted for about 2 per cent of all calls for ambulance, according to BCEHS.
Despite an expectation that more people would be hospitalized with the sudden change in weather and many people at heightened health risk, Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health told CTV News their hospital admissions remained consistent with the same weekend last year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.