The wife of a Parksville man, who died in late August while his family was on hold for 31 minutes waiting for an ambulance to be dispatched, has spoken with BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) in what she considers B次元官网网址渁 very progressive meeting.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e know theyB次元官网网址檙e taking it seriously. This is not going to be put on a shelf,B次元官网网址� said Nancy Blakey.
As a former police officer, Blakey said she has both great sympathy and respect for dispatch workers.
B次元官网网址淲hen I was working the night shift, my closest backup was in bed 45 minutes away. My lifeline was the dispatch,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 want to stress how important those frontline people are.B次元官网网址�
From her conversations with BCEHS after the death of her husband Chuck, Blakey believes the emergency service understands how the last thing a distressed person wants to hear when calling is a recording.
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B次元官网网址淭hey need a (person),B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd thatB次元官网网址檚 what theyB次元官网网址檙e looking at changing in the system. And if they can do that, thatB次元官网网址檚 huge, in my opinion.B次元官网网址�
In an email to PQB B次元官网网址, Lesley Pritchard, media communications for BCEHS, wrote that, as part of the review of BlakeyB次元官网网址檚 incident, they are looking at their processes in dispatch, including changes that may be related to the outgoing phone recording.
She also stated that to support their operations, BCEHS is adding 30 more dispatch staff members, with some starting as early as October.
Shannon Miller, also with media communications for BCEHS, wrote in an email they operate three separate, but integrated, dispatch operation centres in Vancouver, Victoria and Kamloops. The centres all manage incoming 911 calls and co-ordinate all responses to those calls.
B次元官网网址淲e implemented new technology in 2019 that enables our emergency medical call-takers to seamlessly answer and process 911 calls for any of the three dispatch centres and the communities they serve. All 30 new emergency medical call takers (EMCTs) could potentially cover central Vancouver Island, as they are covering the province as a whole. When call volumes are high at one dispatch centre, calls are answered at other centres,B次元官网网址� she wrote.
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B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no one easy solution to this,B次元官网网址� said Blakey.
She believes the answer to this problem should not only involve levels of government and public servants with expertise, but communities as well.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very important that the community voice be understood. And (Parksville Qualicum Beach), we are unique because of our demographic.B次元官网网址�
She said when someone finds themselves in a stressful situation, such as needing to call an ambulance, and if they are in an older age group that may not have a support net or family close by, the voice on the other end is essentially their lifeline.
To Blakey, keeping the communications open to ensure these changes are made, or are at least being worked on, is as important as for communities to understand that B次元官网网址渢hese people truly do care.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e were going forward knowing that our concerns have been addressed at the highest level,B次元官网网址� she said.
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