In Ashcroft, this area includes Lytton, Clinton, 100 Mile House and Logan Lake. In both communities, BCEHS said in a statement, the ambulance and paramedics can be tasked with work in other areas. Peachland also has one ambulance staffed by eight full-time regular paramedic positions, one irregular paramedic position and on-call staff. " is saying it's staff shortages … but this has been going on for a long time, so, for me, that's not an excuse."Īccording to BCEHS, Ashcroft has one ambulance staffed by eight regular paramedic positions and one full-time "irregular" position, which is described as "a permanent but irregular position, much like a floater, to cover off on holidays, sick leave, etc." Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin feels the province is "playing the odds" when it comes to public health, leaving small-town residents with a "false sense of security."
Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin thinks small-town residents have a 'false sense of security' regarding emergency response times due to staffing shortages and the fact that ambulances often cover wide areas of the province. "What's going to happen if I phone 911 and I have to wait half an hour? It's too late." "I worry because I live by myself," said Lebedoff, who had open heart surgery in 2014 after going into cardiac arrest. He thinks every small town should have a dedicated ambulance service. While it's unclear whether the Ashcroft man could have been saved with a faster response from paramedics, his death has served as a stark example of what can happen when small-town residents lack immediate access to emergency health resources.Īshcroft resident Nick Lebedoff helped perform CPR on the 84-year-old before fire crews arrived. Meanwhile, B.C.'s Ministry of Health said in a statement that it "is aware there has been increasing demand on volunteer firefighters to respond to medical emergencies" and that "increasing BCEHS staffing, especially in rural communities in B.C." is a priority for the NDP government.
It also noted that it has voluntary agreements with many fire departments throughout the province, in which BCEHS notifies firefighters of a wide array of medical emergencies, including high priority "Red and Purple calls," less urgent "Orange and Yellow calls," as well as calls that require fire departments technical expertise and equipment, such as motor vehicle incidents, hazmat scenes or potential drownings." Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), which oversees the delivery, co-ordination and governance of out-of-hospital emergency health services in the province, extended condolences to the patient's family. His efforts were unsuccessful, and the man died while waiting almost 30 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.ĬBC requested an interview with White, but he declined. Roden tells CBC that White, who has received first aid training, attended the scene and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an automated external defibrillator from the fire hall. Village of Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden worries medical call-outs will negatively affect the mental health of her community's volunteer firefighters. (Tom Popyk/CBC)Īs communities across British Columbia struggle with a shortage of both ambulances and paramedics, many volunteer fire departments find themselves filling in the gaps, providing emergency medical services to small towns often situated an hour or more away from the nearest hospital.īut while departments like Peachland are prepared to keep offering their current level of medical service, crews in some neighbouring communities have been reluctant to expand the scope of their work, citing concerns around training, resources and volunteer burnout.ĭan Derby, the president of the Fire Chiefs' Association of British Columbia (FCABC), believes that while the majority of the province's fire departments are involved in some level of first responder services, recent challenges, including the opioid crisis, wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, have left some crews wanting to reduce them or re-evaluate the medical offering entirely.
Peachland Fire & Rescue Service Chief Dennis Craig worries crews may be tied up with medical calls, potentially delaying their ability to respond to fires.
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