B.C. paramedics brace for more hot weather
Temperatures in parts of B.C.’s Interior are forecast to be close to 40 degrees this week, just weeks after the province sweltered through a record-breaking heat wave.
According to Environment Canada, Kamloops is expected to reach 38 degrees on Tuesday, and highs of 37 are predicted for Kelowna.
On Saturday, meteorologist Doug Lundquist told CTV News Environment Canada was “close to issuing another heat warning” for some areas. On Sunday, the weather agency did issue heat warnings for the Fraser Canyon, Cariboo, 100 Mile and South Thompson regions.
“I want to stress it’s nothing like what we saw in June, but my concern is that it’s ongoing,” Lundquist said.
Temperatures across Metro Vancouver will also be a few degrees above the seasonal average this week.
According to BC Emergency Health Services, June 28 saw a record high for 911 calls, with paramedics responding to 1,975 medical emergencies. Meanwhile, 911 dispatchers have been receiving more than 3,000 calls a day, which is more than double the usual.
Numbers from BCEHS show that – over the weekend of the heat wave in late June – paramedics responded to 187 calls for heat exhaustion and 52 calls for heat stroke.
“That weekend was incredible from two perspectives: The pressure on paramedics and dispatchers from the incredibly high number of extra calls that they had, but also working in that heat,” said Troy Clifford, president of Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatchers of B.C.
Since then, call volumes have subsided, but are still around 25 per cent higher than average, according to Clifford, who said low staffing levels and fatigue are still major issues.
On Saturday night, Clifford says, 20 ambulance vehicles in the Greater Vancouver area were out of service.
“That represents around 20 per cent of our ambulances not staffed and that’s pretty consistent with what we’ve seen,” he said. “We’ve seen peaks of 30 per cent.”
When asked if he was concerned about paramedics through the summer, Clifford said he was “absolutely worried” about patients, but said the union has been working with the province to improve staffing levels moving forward.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Allison Hurst
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.