Emergency calls

Troy Clifford, president of president of the Ambulance Paramedics Of BC hopes recently announced changes help restore province’s “renowned ambulance service.” (Black Press Media File)

‘Nobody should have to wait for an ambulance’ — paramedic union president

Island communities to see improved ambulance service

 

Aira Khan waited for an ambulance that never came. (Submitted photo)

UPDATE: Surrey residents report calling 911 for ambulances that didn’t arrive

One was an eight-year-old girl, another a 64-year-old woman with a blood clot after getting an AstraZeneca vaccine

 

Emergency Health Services say they received a 911 call June 1 at 3:35 p.m. from a woman who had fallen but was in stable condition at Metrotown SkyTrain station. (Ambulance Paramedics of B.C.)

Ambulance response times in question after B.C. woman waits 1 hour with broken hip

Union president Troy Clifford says B.C.’s poorly managed paramedic staffing system is to blame

 

Rescuers assist boaters in distress off Rocky Point in Nanaimo on Friday, April 23. (Photo courtesy Ricarda Brusegard)

Rescuers come to the aid of boaters in distress off Nanaimo’s Neck Point

RCMP, Port of Nanaimo, coast guard, research vessel respond to mayday call

Rescuers assist boaters in distress off Rocky Point in Nanaimo on Friday, April 23. (Photo courtesy Ricarda Brusegard)
Ambulance crews have been busy with a record number of emergency overdose calls this Wednesday, April 21. (BC Emergency Health Services)

B.C. paramedics responded to a record 138 overdose calls in a single day

Wednesday’s calls included 48 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and 51 in Fraser Health

Ambulance crews have been busy with a record number of emergency overdose calls this Wednesday, April 21. (BC Emergency Health Services)
Alexis Coughlan of Abbotsford is questioning why the paramedics took so long and why the firefighters from down the street were not dispatched when her two-year-old son Milo was having a seizure. (Submitted photo)

With a firehall down the street, B.C. mom questions response time for son’s seizure

Alexis Coughlan wonders why firefighters just down the street weren’t called before paramedics

Alexis Coughlan of Abbotsford is questioning why the paramedics took so long and why the firefighters from down the street were not dispatched when her two-year-old son Milo was having a seizure. (Submitted photo)
Hands-only CRP has been proven to be far more effective than mouth-to-mouth and is far safer during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Leon Baranowski, B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedic practice leader. (BCEHS stock photo)

CPR during COVID-19: How to save someone’s life without risking your own

Paramedics share tips after civilians perform safe CPR on cardiac arrest patient in B.C. park

Hands-only CRP has been proven to be far more effective than mouth-to-mouth and is far safer during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Leon Baranowski, B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedic practice leader. (BCEHS stock photo)
BC Ambulance Services reassures people that the service is well staffed and ready to respond. Photo by Don Bodger

BC Ambulance assures the Island community they’re ‘fully staffed’

‘Paramedics are not limited to a geographical area.’ — BCEHS

BC Ambulance Services reassures people that the service is well staffed and ready to respond. Photo by Don Bodger
Nanaimo Fire Rescue. (News Bulletin file photo)

Nanaimo Fire Rescue’s 911 dispatch service to be contracted out next year

Costs to upgrade to digital-platform 911 too high to provide service cost-effectively, city says

Nanaimo Fire Rescue. (News Bulletin file photo)
Nanoose Volunteer Fire Department firefighters hosed down a pile of garbage that was hauled out from a semi-trailer that caught fire at the Parksville weigh station on Tuesday, April 28. (Michael Briones photo)

Trailer trash catches fire at Parksville weigh station

Excavator used to haul out garbage for Nanoose fire crews to hose down

Nanoose Volunteer Fire Department firefighters hosed down a pile of garbage that was hauled out from a semi-trailer that caught fire at the Parksville weigh station on Tuesday, April 28. (Michael Briones photo)
A home off Terrien Road in Nanoose Bay was destroyed by fire in the early morning of Feb. 23. (Jim Murray photo)

Massive early-morning blaze destroys Vancouver Island home

Firefighters from three departments called in to battle fire at unoccupied residence

A home off Terrien Road in Nanoose Bay was destroyed by fire in the early morning of Feb. 23. (Jim Murray photo)
E-Comm dispatchers saw an increase in phone calls due to the snow. (Black Press Media File)

Vancouver Island dispatchers see rise in 911 calls due to snowfall

A 10 per cent increase was seen overnight, with more throughout the day

E-Comm dispatchers saw an increase in phone calls due to the snow. (Black Press Media File)