September 2020 Member Newsletter
President’s Update “We have been meeting with the government and senior leadership of PHSA and BCEHS and we are starting to make some progress in a number of key resource strategies and issues. We have had acknowledgment and recognition of the urgency and need to address the workload and staffing issues, in addition to the many parallel processes ongoing around the Collective Agreement implementation. I can assure you I understand completely that none of this is moving fast enough for you and I know this impacts you, your families and our patients each and every day.”
Post Shuffle Process Update “As part of the new collective agreement, the employer and union completed a formal review of the existing Post Shuffle process. After that review, the parties have agreed on a formal process that is captured in a Post Shuffle document that can be found on our website.”
Ceremonial Unit Spotlight: Meet Rob Long “Rob joined the APBC Ceremonial Unit in April 2015 to represent our profession but more importantly, to proudly represent our membership in honouring the fallen. He enjoys the comradery, discipline and solidarity of our unit and is always ready to answer the call of duty.”
World Suicide Prevention Day: September 10th, 2020 “Suicide prevention relies heavily on our ability to recognize people who are in distress and may be at risk. The American Association of Suicidality developed a simple tool that we can all use to remember the warning signs of suicide. The tool is called “IS PATH WARM” and outlines the key points to remember.”
Ceremonial Unit Boot Camp “The Ambulance Paramedics of BC would like to welcome nine new Ceremonial Unit members into the ranks. The Ceremonial Unit held an intense new recruits boot camp on August 11-12, 2020 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 6 in Surrey, BC. The nine new recruits were chosen after a long and difficult process. They represent from various different regions around the province, including the Lower Mainland/Metro Vancouver area, East Kootenays, Prince George, and the Okanagan.”
Provincial Safety Message “Fatigue is a daily lack of energy; it’s marked by an unusual or excessive whole-body tiredness that can’t be relieved by sleep. It can be acute (lasting a month or less) or chronic (lasting from one to six months or longer). Fatigue can prevent a person from functioning normally and affects a person’s quality of life. I want all of our paramedics and dispatchers to be cognisant of fatigue, regardless if it’s connected to PPE or changes to our work from COVID in general, and how it can affect us individually. For any members that is struggling – please get help and report, as this is just another way our members need support through this difficult time.”