P.E.I. firefighters, paramedics overwhelmed by increased delays and workloads, MLAs hear

Firefighters and paramedics on P.E.I. are sounding the alarm over increased workloads and rising emergency medical service delays that are impacting their mental health and complicating recruitment and retention.

That's what MLAs heard Wednesday from officials representing first responders during a legislative standing committee meeting.

Darrell Graham, board director of the P.E.I. Firefighters Association and chief of the Alberton Fire Department, said delayed ambulance response times — especially in rural areas — are increasing the burden on firefighters.

He explained that fire departments are often called to medical emergencies, but that's been happening with more frequency over the past several years.

"In the last 10 to 15 years, with our aging population and with new Islanders that have previously moved to, say, Toronto or Calgary and are retiring to Prince Edward Island, they bring their medical issues with them, and that's where we're seeing the uptake in medical calls," Graham said during the meeting.

Data shared by the association revealed that of 1,565 total calls to a sampling of fire departments across the province, 537 were medical in nature. Responding to these calls required 6,445 total hours from firefighters.

Graham recounted an example of Alberton firefighters being dispatched to assist a five-year-old with severe breathing difficulties because no ambulance was available. The firefighters supplied an oxygen tank, but the parents had to drive the child to Prince County Hospital in Summerside since firefighters are not allowed to transport patients.

"We've waited two hours or more for an ambulance to become available, and in some instances there has been no ambulance available at all, which puts a very big stress on our firefighters, mentally and morally," Graham told CBC News after the meeting.

This increased workload is also deterring new recruits, he said.

"We have had people withdraw their names when they realize the number of calls we're responding to, especially the medical calls."

Graham also raised concerns about rising costs for fire departments, including for fuel and equipment. Volunteer firefighters often have to raise funds for life-saving equipment themselves, he said, and many may lose income when they leave their day jobs to respond to emergencies.

The P.E.I. Firefighters Association presented the committee with a number of recommendations, including increasing full-time ambulance staffing, financial support for fire departments, and more tax credits for firefighters.

Paramedics voice similar concerns

Jason Woodbury, president of CUPE Local 3324, which represents P.E.I. paramedics, echoed concerns about lengthy response times.

"It's an increase of calls, lack of resources. We are facing a staffing shortage within Island EMS," he said after the meeting.

He said P.E.I. paramedics earn between $3 and $5 less than their Nova Scotia counterparts and have the same training. 

Woodbury also told MLAs that ground ambulance services should be transitioned to a public model for more transparency and accountability, as is the case in New Brunswick.

Souris-Elmira MLA Robin Croucher, who is also a firefighter and a former paramedic, raised concerns about staffing gaps created when paramedics are assigned to specialized units like Community Paramedic Response Units or mobile mental health units.

"Some of these programs need to be put on hold until we get the foundation of what we do as paramedics that's delivering ground ambulance service," Croucher said during the meeting.

Woodbury agreed that "the ground ambulance service is the foundation, and that's what needs to be focused on."

Officials with P.E.I.'s Department of Health and Wellness said in a statement that an increasing population has put a greater demand on the province's emergency medical service and say they're taking steps to increase the number of paramedics.

It said Island EMS plans to hire all 18 students who are expected to graduate from the primary care paramedicine program at Holland College this spring.

"In August 2023, Government announced that it would [subsidize] all tuition costs for primary and advanced care paramedicine in exchange for two years of service on Prince Edward Island," the statement reads.  

"The Department, in collaborating with Island EMS and other academic partners, are open to exploring opportunities on how we can increase program participation in the future."