ABOVE: Have changes to ambulance response protocols in B.C. affected emergency response times? Jill Krop asks whether patients will be affected on Unfiltered.
Since the BC Ambulance Service changed their response protocol nearly four months ago, critics are concerned the changes have resulted in longer wait times for injured patients.
The BCAS says their new resource allocation plan has resulted in improvements to road safety and response time to critical patients, however civic officials are starting to disagree.
Under the new plan, dozens of services were changed from a Code 3 response, which means lights and sirens, to a Code 2.
BC Emergency Health Services VP of medical programs Dr. William Dick said on Unfiltered with Jill Krop that the primary reason for the change was to better utilize the resources.
“Based on the data… we’ve had no change in patient outcomes,” he said.
However, Fire Chiefs’ Association of BC president Tim Pley said the new protocol limits the number of calls that firefighters respond to.
“We’re concerned… that we don’t want to be arbitrarily dropped from these calls where they’re providing very valuable services even if it doesn’t affect patient outcomes,” Pley said.
Burnaby city councillor Paul McDonell is concerned about ambulance response time.
“We want to have our people getting on scene to stabilize the patient,” he said, adding that he worked as a fire fighter for many years.
“When the information comes in, you cannot tell over the phone what you’re going to, you’re given basic information. Our concern is that some of the things we’ve seen on the list that they’re dropping down on the codes… that could be a very serious call.
Some of the Code 3 calls that have been dropped include hemorrhage, miscarriage, falls and trauma injury, electrocution and allergy stings.
With files from Unfiltered with Jill Krop
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