West Shore fire chiefs have concerns with how fire departments and BC Ambulance respond to calls after changes were rolled out by BC Emergency Health Services in June.
View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said he has been trying to get a better explanation of the new Clinical Response Model since the changes were announced on June 8, without success. Some of HurstB次元官网网址檚 concerns stem from the re-prioritization of clinical outcome calls.
B次元官网网址淭hese sweeping changes were implemented overnight and there was no consultation with the majority of the provinceB次元官网网址檚 fire departments,B次元官网网址� Hurst said. B次元官网网址淲e need to better understand the rationale behind these changes.B次元官网网址�
At issue is a shift in whatB次元官网网址檚 considered emergency calls and clarification is needed, he added. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e had a 69 per cent drop in medical aid response calls in the first month of compliance,B次元官网网址� Hurst said. B次元官网网址淥ur concern for View Royal residents is that the fire department is in the building 24 hours a day. If you have a medical emergency, you should receive the quickest response possible.B次元官网网址�
Hurst is hopeful that a meeting on Sept. 26 that brings together members of the Greater Victoria Fire Chiefs Association with representatives from the BCEHS will provide further explanation. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 looking forward to hearing their perspective,B次元官网网址� Hurst added.
Metchosin Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop said the changes affect her community as well. B次元官网网址淚 hope the meeting provides clarification and deals with our concerns.B次元官网网址�
Shannon Miller, communications officer for the BCEHS, confirmed that BCEHS chief transformation officer Nancy Kotani, Neil Lilley, BCEHS senior provincial director of patient care, and Blaine Wiggins, manager for the first responders will be in attendance to provide an overview of the Clinical Response Model and answer questions. BCEHS doctors Sandra Jenneson and John Tallon will join by teleconference as well. Lilley said in an interview with the Gazette that the BCEHS has held meetings with fire service and fire chief associations., including the Lower Mainland, as part of a collaborative response to changes to the clinical response model. B次元官网网址漌e really appreciate the fire departmentsB次元官网网址� efforts in making themselves available to medical calls,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淧art of the changes weB次元官网网址檝e implemented ensures that fire services are available when we really need them to respond to time-critical calls.B次元官网网址� The upcoming meeting will provide an opportunity to educate and show the progress the BCEHS is making since the changes were implemented, and to reassure them that the changes have been positive in terms of patient care, he added.
The new system, Clinical Response Model, was introduced to guide dispatchers in assigning resources to 911 calls, BCEHS said in a statement. The changes were made to ensure faster response times to urgent medical emergencies, and to better match resources to patients with non-urgent conditions. B次元官网网址淲e are getting to the most life-threatening and urgent calls faster in many communities, with the help of firefighters, who are part of our first responder program. BCEHS has recently added more paramedics, more ambulances and more dispatch staff to ensure the best, the most efficient care possible is delivered,B次元官网网址� the statement said.
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