'Code red' local ambulance shortage signalled multiple times within a week

Waterloo region experienced multiple "code red" events within the last week, meaning there were no ambulances available to respond to emergency calls.

Last Monday, Thursday and Sunday, code red events happened more than two times each day, according to CUPE 5191, the union representing local paramedics. Code red events happened again this Monday. 

"It's like a tree slowly falling over in the forest," said CUPE 5191 vice-president David Bryant. "Eventually, it's going to snap [under stress]."

Bryant said the frequency of code red events have been rising and can fluctuate with call volumes, which can go up or down unexpectedly at any time.

He said that can lead to situations like the one he said paramedics saw early last week, where ambulances were stuck outside Cambridge Memorial Hospital, waiting to offload patients for as long as eight hours.

60 to 70 new paramedics needed: union

Earlier this year, the region approved three new ambulances and one new emergency response unit, due to a 10 per cent increase to emergency call volumes over 2022. Those vehicles were scheduled to get on the road sometime this month.

In a statement to CBC News, James Topham, deputy chief of the Region of Waterloo Paramedics, confirmed the measures were taken "in response to a growing population and increasing call volumes" across the region.

The region had also recently approved eight new ambulances for 2023 and an additional ten ambulances for 2024.

Bryant said that's helpful — but it's not enough.

"What is the point of the new ambulances without staff? The problem we have is recruitment and retention. We can't keep people, we can't get people," he said. 

"This used to be an appealing career, but due to the call volume and the stress and burnout and injuries, it's not an appealing career to people anymore."

Bryant said there's a simple equation to explain why more emergency calls have been coming in: A growing population plus a currently aging population equals to more call volume. 

Your parent, or family member could be lying on the floor for up to an hour before an ambulance gets there.- Dave Bryant, vice president of CUPE 5191 

He said 60 to 70 new paramedics are needed in order to properly serve Waterloo Region.

Bryant said that in the last year, they've lost just as many paramedics as they've hired. He said experienced paramedics are choosing to leave the industry because they can no longer handle the long hours and limited opportunities to take time off.

Meanwhile, in an emailed statement to CBC News, Conestoga College confirmed the intake for its paramedics program is actually quite high. For the academic year that started this September, the program has a full cohort. In addition to that, the number of applications coming in are up by 10 per cent. 

Lack of ambulances creates priority list

Code red situations in a neighbouring region can also impact the service in Waterloo region, said Bryant. For example, if there is an ambulance shortage in Guelph-Wellington, then ambulances from Waterloo region will be immediately diverted to attend to higher-priority calls located there. 

That diversion of local paramedic trucks can leave the Waterloo region area vulnerable to a code red at the same time, said Bryant. 

The phenomenon can leave multiple paramedics services stuck in a ripple effect of code red incidents.

When not enough ambulances are on the road, officials may issue a "code yellow," which is much more frequent than a code red, said Bryant, and it can leave lower-priority calls vulnerable.

"Let's say for example your elderly parent or grandparent had a fall at home, possibly fractured a hip and pelvis. Some sort of long bone injury or trauma that is extremely painful, especially for the elderly, which is a very common call.

"Then let's say a higher-priority call comes in for a chest pain, or a shortness of breath or a trauma," he said. "There's many, many calls which are higher priority. That means that I have to respond to that higher priority call which leaves your elderly parent at home on the floor writhing in pain with a worsening injury. Their muscles contracting, the bone is grinding against their muscle tissue, just causing extreme pain.

"Your parent, or family member could be lying on the floor for up to an hour before an ambulance gets there."

Bryant said he hopes to see a solution soon as he expects to see more code reds.