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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.