'At a breaking point': Kingston, Ont. paramedics facing more calls, need more resources, union warns
Paramedics in the Kingston region are calling for more money and resources to help them deal with calls.
The paramedics' union says they’re struggling to keep up with a significant increase in call volumes.
"Frontenac Paramedic Service is currently in crisis," explains OPSEU Local 462 acting president Dave Doran. "They are at their breaking point and need to be supported."
The COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis and an aging population are all leading to an increase in calls for service.
Doran says workers are facing burnout.
"Crews are just dropping off patients at the hospital, and being called right back out to service other calls," he explains. "There’s no downtime in between calls."
The Frontenac Paramedics are responsible for a large zone, from North Frontenac to islands like Wolfe Island in the south, a nearly two hour drive from one part of the region to the other.
For a population of approximately 150,000 across all its zones, there are 150 full time and part time paramedics. According to County of Frontenac, there are 23,000 calls logged a year, and the volume is expected to increase year over year over the next decade.
Most of the calls for paramedics are from Kingston, and Doran says there are times when they can’t respond as quickly to the rural areas.
"This has become a public safety issue for Kingston and Frontenac County," he explains.
In a statement to CTV News, Frontenac County officials say to address the issue they’ve hired a number of paramedics and have been training them. They’re expected to start within the next month.
“The County of Frontenac takes the health and welfare of all our employees seriously,” writes Kelly Pender, Chief Administrative Officer, County of Frontenac. "Including dedicated front-line paramedics and long-term care staff. The pandemic has had far-reaching implications for every front-line healthcare worker in the Province."
He also says the recent budget has approved hiring more paramedics and includes a new station to improve coverage.
"By working proactively with the province and by planning for service growth, we can best ensure the highest level of service possible to the residents we serve."
But Doran says this won’t be enough as paramedics retire and calls for more staff and vehicles on the road.
"Our paramedics are at their breaking point," he says. "They come every day eager to serve the public but the call volumes are beyond what can be handled by the amount of ambulances that we have.
"We need to staff those ambulances and we need to add those ambulances so we can serve the community appropriately."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.