New Brunswick organizations call for reform of paramedic services

Many organizations are calling for reform to the New Brunswick ambulance system to address delayed response times.

Organizations across New Brunswick are calling for a review and reform of the ambulance system in the province, saying delayed response times are putting pressure on other departments.

“We’ve gone from about 750 medical calls a year to upwards of 15 or 1,600 a year like this year and last year, so on a day-to-day basis sometimes we do see back-to-back medical calls or overlapping calls,” said Riverview Fire and Rescue Chief Robin True.

True says they’ve noticed this increase as New Brunswick’s population continues to age and grow.

He notes all 25 career firefighters in Riverview are cross-trained as paramedics. In an ideal situation, first responders would arrive on the scene a few minutes before an ambulance and provide stabilization, but it’s not always a quick transfer.

“We do see certainly higher call volumes and as well sometimes there’s longer response times for the ambulance,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Union of Municipalities New Brunswick, the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Association of Fire Chiefs called for a review and reform of paramedic services.

“What we’re seeing in a lot of cases are a lot of fire departments supplementing the ambulance availability and not every fire department is necessarily trained that same way to respond to an emergency situation,” said Dan Murphy, executive director for the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, who noted that many fire departments are volunteer-based.

“It’s in some cases a life or death situation so having access to, you know, adequate and accessible ambulance service and first response is critical, so I think that’s where we want to partner together to see how we can improve that system.”

Official say one of the biggest issues is the length of time it takes for an ambulance to become available after taking a patient to a hospital.

New data from Ambulance New Brunswick states that so far this year, average hospital offload duration across the province is 52 minutes.

• Dr. Georges L. Dumont has an available offload time of one hour and 40 minutes
• The Moncton Hospital has an available offload time of one hour and 36 minutes
• Saint John Regional Hospital has an available offload time of 48 minutes
• Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital has an available offload time of 47 minutes

Paramedic Association of New Brunswick executive director Chris Hood says several factors contribute to response times on top of offload delays.

“It’s about how do we do things more efficiently, better and come up with solutions,” he said. “We’ve done absolutely nothing to restrict the number of calls that we’re sending paramedics to or the configuration of ambulances that we’re sending to, paramedics to, you know, we see all kinds of jurisdictions in Canada and around the world where they triage the calls at a dispatch centre.”

Ambulance New Brunswick says the goal for 911 emergency response times is nine minutes or less in urban areas and 22 minutes or less in rural areas 90 per cent of the time.

“We are aware of the concerns that our partners have raised and we share those concerns. Like many health-care systems across the country, we are operating in a system under pressure, and we are working hard to adapt how we deliver the ambulance services in the face of these system challenges,” said Christianna Williston on behalf of Ambulance NB.

She says the conversations have already started between Ambulance NB and key partners, including the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, the Paramedic Association and community leaders.

“When we make any changes, we need to think of the patient first and foremost, and we also have to think of the care provider – our paramedics and flight nurses, our emergency medical dispatchers – who continue to do an incredible job under very difficult circumstances. All of these perspectives are critical for us to consider as we move forward,” said Williston.

The New Brunswick Department of Health said it recognizes some municipalities and fire departments have expressed concerns regarding the service.

“Fire departments are a highly valued partner in emergency response. The department is working with EM/ANB in examining the concerns raised by specific municipalities and fire departments,” said Sean Hatchard, a communications officer with the Department of Health.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.