Union and province at odds over change to emergency call staffing

The union that represents some paramedics says it's shocked that Nova Scotia is changing the way it staffs emergency medical calls.

Until recently, all 911 calls that needed medical support were routed to paramedics at the EHS medical communications centre in Dartmouth.

Two weeks ago, the provincial government gave its approval for Emergency Health Services to hire staff with no paramedic training. The union says it was caught off guard. 

"We don't really understand why the government is putting the lives and health and safety of Nova Scotians at risk," said Jeff Callaghan, the national director for Canadian Union of Postal Workers in Atlantic Canada, which represents the staff at the call centre.

Callaghan argued that the knowledge of the paramedics is critical, especially at a time when people can wait hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Both the company and the provincial government say the change is about filling staffing gaps and improving the service.

Jan Jensen, executive director of medical communications with EHS Operations, said it wasn't a decision that was made lightly. She said emergency systems across North America largely use civilians, not paramedics, to answer the calls for help.

"It's time to do this, to bring our communication centre in line with industry standards," she said. "It is an evidence-based decision, and no, we don't believe the quality of care of the emergency call taking process will change based on this."

The move comes nearly a year after it was recommended by the Fitch report, a comprehensive review of the provincial ambulance system from U.S.-based Fitch and Associates.

It estimated that "paramedics versus civilians can add approximately 50 per cent more labour costs." It pointed out that the software used in the communications centre is designed to be operated by people who are not paramedics.

The report added that the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch — a non-profit that provides training and certification for emergency dispatchers worldwide — "found that civilian call takers often performed better than paramedics as they are less likely to deviate from protocols and try to rely on past field experience."

Callaghan took issue with that point, and said experience is crucial to the job.

"They're able to listen for nuances," he said. "If you have laboured breathing, the person may be upset on the phone and kind of miss that part of it, but as a trained paramedic, you're trained to look for those types of signs that would not be picked up by somebody who is only reading a script."

Callaghan is accusing the province of making the change for the sake of the bottom line.