Council received a report on the Prince George Fire Services response levels Monday
This report was a request of council back in March. The report provides an overview of PG Fire Rescue’s full-service delivery as it relates to the Clinical Response Model (which is the BC Emergency Health Services pre-hospital care model).
“Reviewing Prince George Fire Rescue medical response incidents for 2023 … approximately 50 per cent of our response resulted in our arrival on scene and assisting the patient and BCAS,” reads the report from Fire Chief Cliff Warner. “With treatments ranging from assisting BCAS with package and load, right up to full overdose/cardiac arrest protocols. Approximately 40 per cent of our medical aid responses saw our crews arrive on scene and released by BCAS without requiring treatment/assistance. Crews were cancelled while responding to nine per cent of our medical aid incidents.”
He recommends maintaining the current service levels and approach. He added: “Advocacy efforts that would help reduce the costs of delivering services, especially where there is a relationship with a provincial area of jurisdiction, such as managing mental health and addictions, are recommended.”
He added they were not seeing significant delays in ambuilances arriving, as been the case in other communities.
“Here in Prince George, staff were monitoring the delays in BCAS arrival (and continue to monitor delays presently) and had very few instances where PG Fire crews were tied up on medical aid incidents that would have resulted in delays responding to other incidents. PG Fire therefore did not see a need to reduce the response to ‘Orange’ incidents (Orange being urgent and potentially serious but not immediately life-threatening incidents).”
Council voted to refer the issue to the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs to research advocacy options related to cost recovery associated with medical services and management of Emergency Health Services in Prince George.