Fire chief considers pulling out of first responder program

Lisa Weighton - Victoria News Published: November 08, 2009 10:00 AM

The Victoria fire department's days of responding to medical aid calls are numbered, says fire Chief Doug Angrove. Angrove said provincial funding cuts mean there won't be enough money to train his firefighters to be first responders. Historically, the B.C. Emergency and Health Services Commission funded the first responder program, which covers instructor's tuition to train their departments. Fire departments can volunteer to be first responders, but are on the hook for other costs including gas, oxygen and first aid supplies. But last month, the commission announced $250,000 in funding for training will end in March.

Victoria fire department gets about 4,000 first responder calls per year, arriving before paramedics 26 per cent of the time. "So really, how big is our impact on the outcome of that patient?" asked Angrove. He said his department's $190,000 annual training budget can't absorb the cost of the program. "That's for everything else we do ... we don't want to cut our training programs in any area to cover this increased costs. We still need to make sure our firefighters are trained in the ... high-risk things that we do," he said. Jim Christenson, vice-president of medical programs for the emergency and health services commission, said cutting the program was a difficult decision, ultimately coming down to budget pressures.He said restructuring the program may be an opportunity to decide where resources can be better spent. Christenson said the cost of training could even go down. While the province previously covered tuition, trainers still needed to fund their travel expenses. If fire departments brought in outside trainers, Christenson said the tuition could be less then travel costs. The commission is examining how the program is delivered.

Historically, Esquimalt fire department has always taken part in the program. "It's a huge benefit," said fire Chief Paul Nelson, and as long as staff remain certified, he doesn't intend to end the service. He didn't know how often his crew arrives on scene first, but it's not the majority of the time. Esquimalt and Victoria will be looking to their municipal councils for direction, but Angrove won't ask the city to fund the program that doesn't appear to make a difference.