Fire departments across the region are facing growing pressure from medical calls, which are taking up more resources and affecting response times. Thornhill Fire Department, under Fire Chief Rick Boehm, reports that medical incidents, including road rescues, now make up about 45% of all calls. To cope with the rising demand, the department has scaled back its night-time responses, allowing volunteers to rest. However, Boehm warned that if the trend continues, volunteer burnout could significantly impact service delivery in the future.
In Smithers, medical calls account for 23% of the call volume, a decrease from over 40% in previous years. Fire Chief Alle Jan de Vries emphasized that the community continues to support the department’s medical response efforts, though he raised concerns about the sustainability of this model in the long term.
The City of Terrace declined to comment on the issue, and there was no response from the fire departments in Kitimat or Prince Rupert at the time of this report. Both Thornhill and Smithers highlighted the need for increased provincial or regional coordination to better manage the growing demand for medical responses in their communities.
Comments