'Against every single fibre of our being,' B.C.'s 911 operators union says of new system
B.C.'s emergency call takers union says a decision that says operators don't have to stay on the line with patients until they are transferred to the ambulance service is a stop-gap measure for a system that is on the brink of collapse.
It's supposed to take 911 operators 10 seconds to answer police emergency lines, but in June during B.C.'s heat dome, that wait was more than 47 minutes.
The delay was due to the amount of time it took to hand off calls to the BC Ambulance Service. Operators on hold with 911 callers couldn't hang up. Until now.
A new policy at E-Comm, the non-profit that runs the 911 call centres in the province, means call takers don't have to stay on the line until that call is transferred.
Oliver Grüter-Andrew, president and CEO of E-Comm said the decision means lower risk callers might have to wait on the line alone.
"We're allowing our call taker to judge the situation and to say this call waiting for ambulance to pick up is not a life or death situation for the call," he told CTV News, adding that if they see calls waiting for 911 at the same time, they may choose to hang up.
CUPE Local 8911 President Donald Grant said this is a Band-Aid solution, when what's really needed is a major injection of staff. He pointed to a recent Price Waterhouse Coopers report, which recommended an 84 per cent increase in staffing.
"There's nothing worse than wondering what is going to happen to someone," Grant told CTV News. The president of the local representing emergency communications professionals added, "Not knowing that that person is getting the help that they need goes against every single fibre of our being."
Ecomm says 30 per cent of calls to 911 are for ambulance service, and 70 per cent are for police or fire. Grüter-Andrew said while staffing would help, it wasn't practical partly due to a lack of funding and because of the time it takes to hire and train staff.
Grant sees it differently, saying if the report had been acted on "when it came out in march, we would be in an entirely different situation now."
The union is calling on local governments and municipalities to increase funding, which the non-profit admits would help, but without more money, says is simply not practical.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.