News Releases    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 5, 2003

Ambulance response times delayed by dispatchers' staffing crisis, says OPSEU

TORONTO - Emergency communicators, more commonly known as ambulance dispatchers, say a staffing crisis is causing a dangerous delay in ambulance response times.

Ministry of Health guidelines require ambulance dispatch centres to answer and dispatch an ambulance to an emergency call within two minutes.

It’s taking the short-staffed provincial ambulance dispatch centres six minutes and longer to dispatch these calls, say emergency communicators represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

“Our dispatch centres might as well have a revolving door for an entrance,” said Patrick Fry-Smith, vice-president, OPSEU Local 201.

“We take on new hires, train them, and then once they’ve got some experience under their belt, they leave for higher-paying jobs at other dispatch services,” Fry-Smith said.

The Ministry of Health has admitted to the union that only 30 per cent of new hires are staying.

“I looked around my shift the other day, and saw that only three of the 10 of us had been there for more than 18 months,” said Fry-Smith.

“You need experienced professionals doing this kind of high-pressure work,” he said. “If you make a mistake or take too long dispatching an ambulance, it can cost someone’s life.”

A government-commissioned report by consultants, the IBI Group, recommended increasing provincial communicator wages to “reflect the current market” which is $10,000 - $20,000 more than what provincial communicators earn. So far, the government has refused to do this.

“If the Ernie Eves government is serious about public safety and our emergency health services, it will pay ambulance dispatchers what they deserve so Ontario can hire and keep dispatchers to help save lives,” said OPSEU President Leah Casselman.

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For more information:

Patrick Fry-Smith, 905-923-2911
Megan Park, 416-579-5851