Global News has learned that a child under 12 months of age suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in Barriere on Thursday, and although BC Emergency Health Services said the nearest available ambulance was dispatched, the association representing BC paramedics said local crews Paramedics Barriere were assisting with out-of-town calls, and had to return home to respond to the baby’s medical emergency. Barriere, which is 64 kilometers north of Kamloops or about a 45-minute drive, has a population of just over 1,700. “I just can’t understand how that can happen in today’s world,” said BC Ambulance Paramedics President Troy Clifford.
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Story continues below ad The area has had 24-hour ambulance coverage since last summer, when following the heat, Mayor Ward Stamer said the province changed Barriere to a 24/7 Alpha station, requiring paramedics with a higher level of training. Stammer said not enough paramedics from the Lower Mainland and elsewhere were being recruited to fill the gaps in his community. “Our paramedics are really overworked and understaffed,” Highway 5 resident Brian Beller said. “If you’re not in good health and the ambulance isn’t available, it’s a little scary,” added Margie Kramer, a Barriere resident of 32 years. The infant suffered a cardiac arrest within the municipal limits of Barriere on Thursday. An ambulance was called and the union said there were some delays in response times. The baby did not survive. “In this situation, any delay in a critical situation like this is fundamentally wrong,” Clifford said.
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BC Emergency Health Services is reviewing the call, but declined to say exactly how long the response time was or explain the reason for the delay. BC Ambulance said if the two Kamloops stations are busy or there are no ambulances, Barriere paramedics sometimes head south to help. Story continues below ad “My understanding as reported this day is that they were called to Kamloops to assist with calls and coverage in Kamloops as opposed to staying in Barriere to make sure they had coverage there.” “This is not right,” said Mayor Stammer. “We need our ambulance service to be there, to be able to protect people when we need it and not just steal our resources so they can go to a bigger centre.”
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Clifford said he hopes BCEHS will address the situation and get provincial secondments to fill ambulance staff vacancies and hire new people – but he said the disparity in wages and benefits is hurting the ambulance service’s ability to hire. “We need to address the staffing issues so we don’t have these scenarios anymore,” Clifford told Global News. Clifford said his members are devastated by Thursday’s call and are receiving treatment and care through APBC’s critical incident stress management program. In the meantime, Stamer said Barriere is being forced to rely on his first responders. “Maybe rely on our volunteer firefighters and in many cases just throw that person in the back of a vehicle and head to the hospital like we did 50 years ago – that’s where we are.” Story continues below ad “We’re really worried and we don’t know when Barriere will be back to normal,” resident Matthew Beaudoin said. “It’s the health care system that’s lagging behind, you know, we’re struggling with that,” Beler said. 2:15 Horrible staffing situation at Ashcroft Ambulance Station Tragic staffing situation at Ashcroft Ambulance Station Related News © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
