Rise in calls stressing EMS system: Union

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This article was published 26/01/2022 (1515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon firefighter/paramedics are grappling with a 10 per cent increase in emergency service calls, something the union representing them says is putting stress on the system. 

The increase in 2021 brought the total EMS call volume up to 6,134 responses, according to Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Chief Scott McDonald, who provided the information to Brandon City Council on Jan. 17. 

That means more work for Brandon’s firefighter/paramedics. 

“Practically, it means our engagement in EMS can be strained in regards to our ability to respond in different situations,” McDonald told the Sun. 

The jump in calls includes an increase in primary responses and inter-facility transfers, where paramedics transfer patients between hospitals. The upward trend isn’t unique to Brandon, McDonald said, and is being felt in other rural and urban settings across Manitoba. 

The cause of the increase isn’t entirely clear, but McDonald said the service is seeing higher need partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“EMS plays an integral part in the health-care system overall. EMS is not only involved in primary responses … but also inter-facility transfers, which are both long-distance and local, to ensure people can get the health care they need.” 

Firefighter/paramedics are managing the increase “to the best of their ability with the resources in place,” McDonald said. 

But the increase is straining capacity, said Brandon union president Terry Browett. 

“I think it’s putting a lot of stress on our system. We’ve been having staffing shortage discussions probably for the last six years,” he said. 

Part of the problem is that Brandon ambulances respond to rural areas around the city, such as Shilo and Wawanesa. While the city used to have two primary ambulances dedicated to it, there’s no guarantee they will be in town to respond. 

As a result, BFES responds to some medical calls with firetrucks, which he said could leave them unavailable to respond to fire calls. 

“It just runs us really low sometimes,” he said. 

“It’s not sustainable, because when you respond with a fire truck or rescue [vehicle] and you’re treating a patient, that staffing, that unit, cannot leave for any accidents or fire calls.” 

According to statistics provided by Browett, BFES ran an average of approximately 48 inter-facility transfers a month in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began. In 2021 however, the number jumped to an average of approximately 59 per month. 

Browett said he wants to see the city and Shared Health work together to ease the burden on BFES firefighter/paramedics. An ambulance dedicated to Brandon would help. 

“I think the two need to meet with the province to figure out what’s fair and equitable for staffing … the model has to change a little bit.” 

According to information McDonald provided to Brandon City Council, Shared Health is working on addressing staffing issues with EMS. 

“In our most recent discussions, Shared Health also indicated they are actively working on short-term solutions to support EMS in Brandon.” 

In previous comments to the Sun, Shared Health has said it is exploring options to increase EMS capacity in Brandon and across the province. 

» dmay@brandonsun.com 

» Twitter: @DrewMay_