Increased 911 call volumes and staff shortages are causing a crisis in paramedic services, according to the union representing paramedics.
Kelly Connor is president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Union (CUPE) Local 1842, the union representing paramedics employed by Hastings County.
“This is a public safety issue, and public safety is our number one concern,” says Conner. “Every minute of delay between dialing 911 and receiving medical attention puts lives at risk. The EMS sector and our paramedics are over-worked, under-resourced and under-funded. More ambulances and more staff resources give us the ability to respond quickly and save more lives.”
Connor continues, “Emergency response times are critical. Every minute that a person in sudden cardiac arrest does not receive defibrillation, their chances of survival drop by seven to ten per cent. Permanent brain damage begins after only four minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as four to six minutes later. Anaphylaxis, meanwhile, always requires a trip to the emergency room, without which it can turn deadly in less than 15 minutes.
Connor adds, concerns about their ability to respond quickly to the increased number of emergency calls in the Hastings County area, along with related issues including ambulance shortages, staff shortages and workload pressures, as well as hospital capacity and offload time, have paramedics in Ontario issuing their own 911 call to the public they serve and to government for support.
Connor indicates patients are experiencing long wait times for ambulances, jeopardizing medical attention.
Connor added the paramedics of Ontario now urgently need help.
He is encouraging all residents to reach out to local municipal councillors to make emergency services a local priority, to voice concerns about staff shortages and lack of hospital capacity, and to express support for increased municipal investments in the emergency sector and the paramedics.
