Skip to content

Thanksgiving long weekend phone delays plague B.C. ambulance service response

E-Comms 9-1-1 says the extended wait period a result of call transferring delays
26793865_web1_210922-PQN-Nancy-Blakey-AMBULANCE_1
(PQB News file photo)

B.C. emergency operators have again experienced delays in answering and processing emergency calls.

A spokesperson from the E-Comms 9-1-1 says the extended wait period for calls over the Thanksgiving weekend was the result of delays transferring the calls to the B.C. Ambulance Service.

The agency says, when this happens, people should not hang up but stay on the line until they can be helped.

Paramedics in B.C. have been speaking out about staffing shortages and burnout since the heat wave in June.

In July, Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province would be adding more paramedics, dispatchers and ambulances.

—The Canadian Press

RELATED: After a night of one-hour waits for ambulances, union goes public with concerns