A petition for improved paramedic service in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows has garnered the attention of the public, as well as MLA Doug Bing, who says the area needs at least one more ambulance.
Matt Kelso, who started the petition in late December, has already collected approximately 1,500 signatures through the website change.org, and is aiming for 10,000. But his work has already convinced the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA.
Bing looked into the matter after being contacted by Kelso.
“I certainly understand where he’s coming from,” said Bing, adding that it’s not a new issue.
While he was on Pitt Meadows council, the issue was brought up by members of the public. Then, as an MLA, he has twice had residents visit his office to complain that the area needs improved ambulance service.
Kelso asserts that paramedic service has not kept up to the fast-growing population in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
With a combined population of 94,000 residents, the cities are served by two ambulances, manned 24 hours per day.
By comparison, Delta has a population of 100,000, and is served by five daytime ambulances and three on duty 24 hours.
Kelso said that is an eye-opener for local residents.
“They’re disgusted that we have two ambulances for 100,000 people here, and Delta has five, and it’s the same size,” said Kelso.
He noted that Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read and other members of council have signed the petition.
Bing said the issue could be resolved soon. B.C. Emergency Health Services is conducting a deployment and demand review, and the results could be available as soon as this month.
“I’m hopeful they’ll have something positive to say for our area,” said Bing.
He noted the review is the first major examination of ambulance deployment in many years. The population comparisons alone make it clear Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows need more ambulance service.
“At least one more, for sure,” said Bing. “That’s my opinion.”
Kelso, a cancer survivor, got involved in the issue due to his involvement with the temporary homeless shelter in Maple Ridge. Since that shelter opened, the number of responses by paramedics to overdoses or poisonings has jumped, putting added strain on emergency responders.
During the two months between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1, paramedics responded to 26 overdoses or poisonings within a two-block radius of 222nd Street and Lougheed Highway, an area that includes the temporary shelter and the Salvation Army’s Caring Place, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.
That compares to only 17 such calls from a two-block radius of Cliff Avenue during the eight months, from last April to November.
The homeless camp that opened in the city last spring was located on Cliff Avenue, next to the Salvation Army.
Overall, for the entire city, paramedics responded to 79 such incidents during October and November.
Another statistic shows a dramatic increase in overdoses and poisonings. Between 2011 and the end of November 2015, the frequency has nearly doubled. In 2011, paramedics responded to 174 overdoses or poisoning incidents, compared to 297 in the first 11 months of 2015.
– with files from Phil Melnychuk