B.C. should cover costs when local fire services provide medical emergency care, Prince George council says

City councillors in Prince George, B.C., say the city is tired of footing the bill for pre-hospital care in the community and are calling on the provincial government to cover the costs.

The city is tabling a resolution at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM)convention in Vancouver this week amid concern over a strain on local resources, as aparamedic shortage and the toxic drug crisis increasedemands on the municipal fire department to assist ambulance services during medical emergencies.

The resolution, which the UBCMResolutions Committee is recommendingits members endorse, asks the province to develop a funding model to compensate local governments who are providingemergency services through their fire and rescue services and are fulfilling the responsibility of the B.C. government.

"We are just asking for our fair share," saidPrince George Coun. Cori Ramsay, speaking Tuesday on CBC's Daybreak North.

The UBCM convention serves as an opportunity for municipal and regional politicians to meet and trade best practices, and also a chance to lobby the B.C. government through policy sessions, formal resolutions and scheduled one-on-one meetings.

While the resolution is being put forward by Prince George, the intent is to assist all B.C. municipalities who are in a similar situation.

The issue has been raised before, with Revelstoke bringing a similar resolution to the table in 2009, long before the province declared a public health emergency due to illicit drug overdoses in 2016.

Ramsay said municipal costs for medical supplies have skyrocketed in Prince George in the last decade, with the city spending approximately$69,000 in 2022 compared to$28,000 in 2015.

"This is a form of downloading," said Ramsay. "We don't have the capacity with the B.C.Ambulance Service to respond to all of those calls, so ourfire response teams are."

According to a report on 911 call-answering statistics presented to the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George which includes Prince Georgein December, the city's firefighters responded to 8,931 calls between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2022. Of those, 5,385 were medical call-outs.

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Ramsay said firefighters must remain at the scene until paramedics can get there to take over, and she worries what could happen if a fire breaks out and all personnel are already out on medical calls.

"It's really going to cause some issues down the line if we don't get B.C.Ambulance fully staffed," she said.

The proposed resolution does not address labour shortages, but solely asks for compensation for fire and rescue services responding to medical situations.

Ramsay saysnaloxone kits used to reverse overdoses, which British Columbians can get for free at pharmacies, are currently being purchased by the city to stock the fire department with what it currently requires.

In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Health saiditspre-hospital care committeeconsults with communities and first responders to find ways to improve out-of-hospital care.

"We will continue to listen to stakeholders as we continue through this important work," a spokesperson said.

"The Ministry of Health and B.C. Emergency Health Services greatly appreciate their relationships with firefighters and the assistance they can offer in emergency response to patients before paramedics arrive on the scene."

The UBCMexecutive has put forward its own special resolution to the provincial government to improve health equity in rural and remote communities.

In the comments of that resolution, the executive reiterates it has endorsed several resolutions on this issue, including numerous requests for more paramedic funding, over the past decade.

In February,the province announced approximately $2 million in funding to expand paramedic training programs.

Thatfunding wenttoward more than 100 participants in the Justice Institute of B.C.'s primary care paramedic certificate program in Chilliwack, Kelowna, New Westminster, Trail and Victoria.

Funding was also directed to approximately 30 students in emergency medical responder training a prerequisite for the primary care paramedic certificate program in Cranbrook, Port Alberni and Prince George.