Whereas many small local governments provide First Responder Program services to assist the BC Emergency Health Services Ambulance services; And whereas the provision of assistance to the BC Ambulance Services is very valuable; And whereas some costs associated with providing the service on behalf of BC Emergency Health Services are paid for by BC Emergency Health Services while hourly pay for First Responders and all vehicle costs are paid by the taxpayers of the local governments that assist the BC Ambulance Services: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the BC Emergency Health Services to increase the funding to local governments who provide First Responder Program to assist the BC Ambulance Service.
Ministry of Health The support provided by First Responders FRs during medical emergencies is an essential part of the delivery of pre-hospital emergency health services to the people of British Columbia. BC Emergency Health Services BCEHS and the Province value the role that FRs play in pre-hospital emergency care. The Ministry of Health appreciates the Village of Chases ongoing concern for fiscal accountability, as you continue to determine how to best allocate your funding and resources for responding to urgent and routine calls. When a 911 call is triaged, BCEHS uses the Medical Priority Dispatch System to determine the care the patient requires and the most appropriate response. Based on this information, the Clinical Response Model CRM indicates the resource and response type for an event and it also indicates the relative priority of the call. The CRM uses a colour-coding system of Purple, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green or Blue. Purple is the high-acuity and urgent, and Blue is the lowest-acuity priority. BCEHS notifies first responder agencies who have agreements with BCEHS of time-critical calls purple and red. Establishing an agreement with BCEHS is voluntary and each municipality, including the Village of Chase, can determine the level of call response they respond to. This approach provides municipalities with the ability to directly manage all costs associated with their participation in pre-hospital care. Since 2017, the BC government has taken significant steps to improve emergency health services in our province by hiring more paramedics and dispatch staff, delivering more ambulances, improving services in rural communities, and significantly increasing the BCEHS budget. BCEHS is committed to providing timely, high quality and safe pre-hospital care for patients throughout British Columbia, while using public resources in an effective and efficient manner. As part of this commitment, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with BCEHS, fire departments, municipalities and other stakeholders, are working together to implement a coordinated approach to pre-hospital care that will ensure people throughout the province have access to the pre-hospital are they need.