By Cheryl Jahn

Paramedic training in PG?

Oct 27, 2023 | 1:51 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – As with every community across the province, there is a dire shortage of paramedics, whether it’s medical paramedics or industrial paramedics. And they are a bit different. And community futures of Fraser for George is looking to weigh in on a matter of training paramedics.

In a letter of support, Community Futures writes: “… with increasing homeless and addiction issues in Prince George, our current paramedics are having to work an increasing number of hours to ensure medical response is available to those in need. Having more trained paramedics will ease the burden on these professionals and increase lifesaving response time.”

“Outside of first responders in the paramedic field. There’s a growing need for paramedics to provide services in our natural resources sectors…”

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“The higher level of ambulance, care and being able to have transportation licensing and all the pieces that make it absolutely critical,” explains Susan Stearns, General Manager for Community Futures Fraser Fort George. “So it extends beyond generalized, industrial first aid and whatnot and really being able to offer that immediate transportation care that’s needed across the north.”

And the ambulance paramedics of B.C. say all of it is welcome.

“It’s not a bad thing because that opens up opportunity for them to come into our service, and that’s a good recruitment and retention thing. And we’re seeing that now a lot more in the community because we’re recruiting because of our stronger collective agreement we got last year and we’re seeing our numbers coming up in a lot of the northern rural and remote communities,” says Troy Clifford with the BC Ambulance Service. “So our view is any opportunities that people are taking paramedic training, whether it’s for ultimately for private sector, public sector safety or in our business, is a good thing.”

Columbia Paramedics Academy has been working with a number of Community Futures across B.C., in particular in the northern region, to decentralize paramedic training and hold the training in rural communities.

“They approached one of the Community Futures and it was such a great partnership and went through without any challenges or any need to actually do a lot of outreach in communities because we’re connected in a community,” says Stearns. “So it ended up being a really great partnership where I believe the best community features across northern B.C. now offering the start piece of training.”

So with letters of support from the likes of the City of Prince George, what is the timeline for community futures to get the training under way?

“I’m making our best guess that we’re going to be approved, of course, because it is such a desperately needed peace in the north, especially with delays in ambulance services from time to time and sometimes cancellations. In Mackenzie, for example, they’ve had to announce ambulances wouldn’t be moving.”

Ideally, community futures would have the training underway in the new year.