Kamloops City Councillors are set to ask the Provincial Government to pay for a new nearly $1-million medical unit for Kamloops Fire and Rescue.
The City’s Safety and Security Select Committee voted to send the business case for the medical unit to the Provincial Government, pending approval from City Council.
The recommendation comes a few weeks after City Council turned down the proposal during its supplemental budget process arguing Kamloops taxpayers should not be funding medical calls as it falls under provincial jurisdiction.
“You’re seeing other communities and other provinces with situations and similar challenges with respect to funding,” Councillor Kelly Hall, the chair of the committee said, noting the issue is not unique to Kamloops.
“For me this came down to a funding aspect, where it definitely falls on the shoulder of the provincial government. That’s where the funding needs to come from.”
This new medical unit came with a price-tag of just over $1-million, with most of that amount – $953,000 – going towards operating costs and wages for the equivalent of six firefighters. The rest of the money – $126,000 – would go towards capital costs including the SUV and medical equipment.
“Although I didn’t think it was an appropriate use for the supplemental budget, I’m glad that it was elevated to that level, so that people would understand the profound burden that is being borne right now,” Councillor Katie Neustaeter said.
“Municipalities should not be bearing that amount of funding.”
Kamloops Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc says he envisioned the medical unit as a way to alleviate the pressure on existing KFR personnel, who are having to respond to an ever-increasing number of medical calls.
He says KFR is continuing to respond to those calls in their firetrucks, noting if they don’t it could have some significant impact on local residents. But Uzeloc also told the committee that the call volume is taking a toll on firefighters.
“What used to be a high degree of empathy is maybe waning a little bit going to a lot of the same people and having to use Naloxone multiple times,” Uzeloc said. “So there is that impact, as well as adding to the mental health stress of firefighting in general.”
Uzeloc also said KFR has met with the BC Ambulance Service to discuss the potential of getting some equipment and training materials at Kamloops fire halls. He also told the committee that the Alberta Government has distributed about $3 million to a number of fire departments that respond to medical calls in that province.
“Provincial policy, provincial legislation is what’s causing many of these outcomes, and it is inappropriate to respond in a full firetruck to these [medical] calls,” Neustaeter said.
“We, I think, can agree around this table, all of us, that we do have a moral obligation to respond to all calls when there are people in need. There’s no life that is less valuable than another. But there are more appropriate ways to respond than others.”
It is not clear when all of City Council will debate the issue, but Councillor Dale Bass – who also agreed with the plan to send the bill to the province – said Victoria will likely not be in a rush to address the issue.
“Asking the province means they might get around to it sometime in the next year or so,” Bass said. “In the meanwhile, we’re going to have more than one person die every week, and we’re also going to add more wear and tear to our fire engines. And we’re just going to continue to stress out our firefighters, and that is the reality.”
“It’s wonderful that we’re all saying, ‘Hey province, come up with the money,’ but they may not. And meanwhile, people are still going to die.”