Ambulance paramedics are overworked and there are not enough of them, leading to shortages of ambulances in Metro Vancouver, said Cameron Eby, president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C.
“We’re seeing ambulances going out of service because they’re isn’t sufficient staff to man them,” Eby said.
He added the situation has become worse in the last few weeks.
Three weekends ago, half of the ambulances in Metro Vancouver were out of service, he said.
He didn’t have specific numbers on shortages of ambulances in the Maple Ridge area.
However, in a news release Tuesday, Eby said that up to 40 ambulances were out of service in the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley area last week.
These out-of-service levels are a concern following the recent release of the Auditor General report that found that ambulances were only meeting response time targets for the most serious emergencies, the release added.
Eby said staff shortages can have cascading effects throughout the region as paramedics leave one area for jobs in another, creating shortages in the first region.
“Having units out of service in one community means ambulances in neighbouring communities are often pulled into the busier areas to respond to calls. This can leave smaller communities without an ambulance when they are needed.”
High work loads and burnout is also putting the public and paramedics at risk, he said.
Maple Ridge got two new ambulances to serve the area in 2016.
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