New figures show Jaffray residents face the longest wait for an ambulance in the Elk Valley and South Country.
According to data obtained from BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), the average wait time for an ambulance in Jaffray last year was approximately 31 minutes.
Their South Country neighbours in Elko waited 25:31 minutes on average, while Fernie residents had the shortest wait time of 7:23 minutes, followed by Elkford (15:52 minutes) and Sparwood (16:21 minutes).
A BCEHS spokeswoman explained that response times for calls in rural and remote areas are generally longer due to the distances involved in driving to many of the call locations.
She said the target to arrive in rural communities is within 15 minutes, 70 per cent of the time. Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford are classified as rural communities.
The target to arrive in remote communities, such as Elko, Jaffray and Baynes Lake, is within 30 minutes, 70 per cent of the time.
There are three ambulance stations in the Elk Valley; one each in Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford, which employ a total of 59 paramedics. Of those, 27 paramedics and three ambulances are based in Fernie, with one full-time employee and 26 part-time employees. Twenty paramedics, all part-time, are in Sparwood and operate three ambulances. Elkford has 12 paramedics, all part time, one ambulance.
The communities of Hosmer, Elko and Baynes Lake are normally responded to by paramedics from Fernie. Jaffray is serviced by paramedics from both Cranbrook and Fernie.
According to Elk Valley and South Country Rural Fire and Rescue Service Chief Dave Boreen, ambulances are assigned to emergencies based on their location rather than the closest station.
Ambulances from different areas may be travelling between communities and are available for services, or the closest available station may not have an ambulance available for service.
According to BCEHS figures, Fernie had the highest annual call volumes last year, averaging one medical incident per day. In 2018, Fernie received 376 calls, compared to 327 in Sparwood, 141 in Elkford, 43 in Elko and 34 in Jaffray.
In the Elk Valley, first responder firefighters can also respond to medical emergencies, however, they are not allowed to transport patients.
Forty-one of the 63 volunteer firefighters at the Hosmer, Elko, Jaffray and Baynes Lake Fire Departments are licensed first responders, which requires 32 hours of instruction followed by a written and practical skill evaluation.
Recertification also comes with many hours of training. Despite this, firefighters are not permitted to transport a patient to the hospital.
Under the Emergency Health Services Act, BCEHS is the only body authorized to provide ambulance services in the province.
The BCEHS spokeswoman explained that under B.C.’s First Responder Program, fire departments may provide basic first aid and emergency health services while paramedics are enroute.
However, not every community fire department offers first responder training. Some municipalities only wish to provide assistance to paramedics when required. According to BCEHS, the decision to provide this program lies with the local government.
Boreen explained that not only are first responders not permitted to transport patients, they also do not receive any training for this, nor do they have the required equipment.
According to a recent audit by BC’s Auditor General Carol Bellringer, the BC Ambulance Service is meeting the targets set out for rural and remote areas.
The audit, for the period from April 2016 to December 2017, found ambulances in rural areas reached their 15-minute target 79 per cent of time, while the 30-minute target in remote areas was achieved 77 per cent of the time.
However, when emergency response-time targets are not met, patients may not be receiving care when they need it, according to Bellringer.
In her report released late February, Bellringer said BCEHS is undergoing a major change to better deliver care but response times are still sometimes too long and coordination between paramedics and fire departments needs to be better.
She further explained that paramedics work with fire departments, often arriving at the same scene. But due to paramedics being employed by the province and fire departments falling under local government’s jurisdiction, communication is often uncoordinated.
Since 2017, BCEHS has been hiring more paramedics and buying more ambulances. However, data one year later showed only a one per cent improvement in urban response times.
As a part of its community paramedicine program, BCEHS has brought in several community paramedics (CPs) to help reduce wait times in rural and remote areas.
The vision behind the program is to help rural and remote communities that are sometimes underserved, and have aging populations living with chronic and complex diseases. The program objectives are to help stabilize paramedic staffing in these communities and bridge health service delivery gaps identified in collaboration with local health care teams.
There are now three CPs in the Elk Valley. In Elkford, the CP began working in the community in May 2017. In Sparwood, two CPs share the role; with one starting work in May 2017 and the other in November 2018.
Asked if he was satisfied with current response times for remote areas, Boreen explained that the recent audit showed that the BC Ambulance Service was meeting the target they have set.
“My feeling is that they do meet this target for calls within our jurisdictions,” he said. “I do, however, feel that we are being underutilized in their new Clinical Response Model. We are a resource that is readily available to the province, at no charge to them.”
BCEHS recently released a new Clinical Response Model, which includes changes to the types of emergencies fire first responders are called to. Now, co-responses, or times when both BCEHS and fire first responders are called to a scene, are focused on life-threatening and most time-critical calls.
Fire first responders are now responding to fewer non-life-threatening emergencies but will occasionally be called to service when the ambulance response is expected to take more than 10 minutes. This includes any call involving a motor vehicle accident, hazardous materials, drowning/near drowning, or a fire, as well as any other specific scenario where their expertise and tactical support is required.
However, fire first responders are still unable to transport patients under the new model, no matter how close they are to a hospital.
Boreen declined to comment on whether it would be beneficial to allow for this.
“All I can say is that all levels of emergency services work to get the people to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.
