B.C. paramedics issue ‘public safety alert,’ say ambulance staffing ‘approaching critical levels’

From Jan. 8: Administrators are cracking down on overtime for paramedics as BC Emergency Health Services is millions of dollars in the red.

Paramedics in B.C. are once again sounding the alarm about ambulances sitting empty over the weekend.

In a “public safety alert” issued Friday evening, the Ambulance Paramedics of BC – the union representing nearly 6,000 dispatchers and paramedics across the province – warned that ambulance staffing is “approaching critical levels.”

“Our members are reporting dozens and dozens of ambulances across the province sitting empty when they show up to work, and it’s not getting any better,” said union president Jason Jackson, in the alert.

Jackson placed the blame on an overtime ban implemented by BC Emergency Health Services and the Provincial Health Services Authority on Jan. 1, which the union says is part of those agencies' attempts to address a “significant budget deficit.”

“We’ve tried to engage with BCEHS, PHSA and the government, and they still seem hesitant to admit we are reaching critical staffing levels again,” the union president said.

“We know we have hundreds of open and unfilled positions in the province. These are predictable vacancies that can be staffed well in advance. There is just no reason to wait to the last minute to start calling people to come in.”

CTV News has previously reported that BCEHS is dealing with a budget shortfall of approximately $200 million, according to several sources.

When asked about it last week, the agency did not dispute that figure, nor address how deep in the red it is.

• Read more: Fewer paramedics on shift as BC Ambulance millions over budget

BCEHS did dispute the characterization of the overtime policy as a ban, writing in a statement to CTV News last week that “overtime hours continue to be available where and when needed.”

“Overtime is not an efficient way to meet our staffing needs, nor is it good for staff wellness over the long term,” the agency added.

Speaking to CTV News on Saturday, union spokesperson Ian Tait explained the change as a ban on scheduling overtime shifts in advance.

In the past, he said, BCEHS has allowed supervisors to schedule overtime weeks in advance. Since Jan. 1, the agency has only offered overtime on a few hours' notice.

“The frustrating thing about it is that they’re still going to pay the overtime, but they’ve put a barrier in place that has led to the plummeting of overtime shifts being filled,” said Tait, who is the union’s director of communications.

“When you kind of lay it out like that, it makes no sense.”

Tait said union members “don’t disagree” with BCEHS when it assets that scheduling overtime is not the best way to staff the ambulance service, but added that it’s necessary for the system to function.

“The ambulance service exists because of our members willing to work overtime,” he said. “If, Monday morning, all the paramedics in B.C. said, ‘We’re not going to work overtime today,’ the service would collapse in about 90 minutes.”

The paramedics union says the overtime policy has “translated into front-line cuts to ambulances” and has negatively affected response times.

“Our low acuity calls are waiting longer than ever, and BCEHS’s deployment changes are hurting patients,” Jackson said. ”We’re hearing that patients are sitting for hours on the floor, or with first responders when they need to be transported to hospital by paramedics immediately. Now is not the time to cut front-line services.”

BCEHS “always runs at sub-optimal staffing levels,” according to the union, which says roughly one-quarter of the agency’s ambulances is “commonly unstaffed.”

The union also alleges that BCEHS, the PHSA and the provincial government have refused to change the overtime policy, despite being notified of paramedics' concerns.

“We’re issuing this warning to the public that when you call 911, and if it’s not critical, you will undoubtedly be waiting for an ambulance, and it could be a long time,” Jackson said.

Tait said he can recall one previous instance – during the COVID-19 pandemic – when paramedics issued a public safety alert like Friday’s.

“We only do it when we’re really concerned about the public not being able to have their expectations met for an ambulance,” he said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Penny Daflos