'Just not sustainable': B.C. ambulance paramedics responded to an estimated 1M calls last year

Amid multiple public health crises, B.C.'s ambulance paramedics responded to a record-breaking number of calls last year.

According to Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., more than one million events were responded to in 2021, which marks an all-time high. More than 840,000 of those calls came through B.C. Emergency Health Services' dispatch system, but a union representing ambulance workers says the figure is likely much higher.

"Many events involved multiple ambulances and resources that don't get separate event numbers, so we are confident that our members responded to over a million calls for service in 2021 serving the citizens of B.C.," said Troy Clifford, president of CUPE 873, in a news release.

"The numbers are staggering, to say the least."

Over the past few years, calls dispatched through BCEHS to ambulance paramedics have steadily increased. In 2018, 714,000 calls were responded to, in 2019 there were in 723,000, and in 2020 there were 751,000.

"In just one year, we have seen almost 90,000 more responses," Clifford said.

"With our worst staffing crisis in history, and BCEHS' inability to recruit and retain sufficient paramedics, we are heading for serious trouble. These numbers are just not sustainable."

Last year was the deadliest year for drug overdoses in B.C.'s history, and data released by BCEHS last week showed it was also the busiest for paramedics responding to the overdose crisis, by a wide margin. 

That data showed BCEHS responded to 35,525 overdoses in 2021, an increase of 31 per cent compared to the previous year, and nearly triple the 12,263 it responded to in 2015.

"Our paramedics are pivotal in the prehospital fight against addiction and overdose deaths," Clifford said.

"We are reviving dozens and dozens of patients every single day in this province. If it weren't for the work of our members, those numbers would be exponentially higher – without question."

Severe weather events and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbated staffing issues and lengthy wait times for those calling for emergency care.

Late last year, B.C.'s provider of 911 services, E-Comm, said it was implementing a new process to address its own staffing issues and response times.

Under the previous 911 system, a call-taker would determine the first responder team required for the call, then wait on the line with the caller until the right police, fire or ambulance agency picked up. Under the new system, that's no longer the case. Dispatchers can now disconnect from the call as the person waits in a queue for BCEHS. 

A month before that change was announced, the union representing 911 dispatchers warned of "catastrophic failure" of the system without a funding increase, claiming nearly double the number of full-time call-takers are needed to meet operational demands. 

The union representing ambulance paramedics says it's in dire need of adjustments too.

"We need some fundamental changes to how we acknowledge our members' mental health and wellness, let alone changes to wages and benefits to improve staffing and recruitment," Clifford said.

"If we don't see changes soon, we will continue to see our ability to respond to patients suffer and wait times increase."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday and Kendra Mangione