Whereas in rural and remote areas ambulances are not able to get to medical calls in a timely manner because of distances travelled and members of community fire departments are able to arrive on scene much more quickly; And whereas when first on scene first responders of community fire departments can assist the ambulance team by accessing the patient, gathering information, taking vitals and packaging the patient prior to the ambulances arrival; And whereas community fire departments are funded through local government taxes while BC Emergency Health Services are funded through provincial monies: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Ministry of Health to provide funding for pre-hospital care equipment, training, and call out pay for fire department first responder programs.
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. BCEHS notifies first responder agencies who have agreements with BCEHS of time critical calls. Establishing an agreement with BCEHS is voluntary and each municipality can determine the extent of their participation and the calls they respond to. This approach provides municipalities with the ability to directly manage all costs associated with their participation in pre-hospital care. Some municipalities have chosen to have FRs continue to attend both urgent and routine non-emergency calls, while others have elected to have first responders attend only urgent medical calls where a patients condition will benefit from initial care. Through continued and increased investment, the BC government is supporting BCEHS to take targeted action to improve emergency health services throughout the province. Between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, BCEHS announced 800 new hires across BCEHS paramedics, dispatch, and support services into existing vacancies and new positions the largest expansion of staffing in BCEHS history. BCEHS has also increased ground and air ambulances coverage throughout the province, implemented a more efficient 9-1-1 system, increased training for paramedics and provided funding to support the mental health and wellness of BCEHS employees. In addition, to improve ambulance services in 60 rural and remote communities, a new staffing model has launched to provide consistent and reliable community-based out of hospital care which adds 271 new full time paramedic positions to the province. As part of this new approach, 55.2 stand alone, full-time community paramedic positions will be dedicated to providing community-based care and community outreach through the new model. 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 out-of-hospital care they need.