December 2020 Member Newsletter
President’s Update “We are very frustrated with the leadership of BCEHS who are not acting quick enough to address incredible OOS numbers in the province. They continue to not see the true magnitude of our worst staffing and workload crisis in our history. As reported, I felt we had momentum in September and October; however, as November came, we have had little or no movement on any issues, and the employer has not implemented or come up with a concrete solution to implement short term support or intervention.”
2020 Holiday Selection “The new Alpha rotation was another difference this year. The Vacation Selection Committee worked hard to develop a process that incorporated the potential for extra vacation blocks if someone picked their 3-day blocks as vacation. It involved adding additional Super Wild cards as extra blocks were picked (what we called the “bonus round”), which eventually became Wild Cards, and sometimes even an extra line (card) of vacation being put out on the remaining blocks.”
Ceremonial Unit Spotlight: Brinton DeLuca “Brinton decided to apply to the Ceremonial Unit after he attended numerous funerals and other public appearances without any formal training and wanted to better represent the profession. Brinton has been a Paramedic for ten years working as a dispatcher in Vancouver, and serving communities as a PCP on the Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky, Vancouver and now stationed in Langley. Brinton is also now one of your APBC RVPs in the 2 West region.”
COVID-19 Occupational Risks, Seroprevalence and Immunity among Paramedics in Canada (CORSIP Canada)“COVID-19 is a global health crisis and the risk to occupational groups, such as paramedics, is unclear. The APBC is happy to report that we are supporting a research project lead by Dr. Brian Grunau MD MHS, an Emergency Physician from St. Pauls in Vancouver.”
Provincial Safety Director Update “2020 has been the most challenging test on BC Paramedic history. Facing a pandemic as a paramedic group is a physical, mental, and emotional test beyond anything we could have anticipated. Our members face a challenge that few would ever understand and continue to show exceptional levels of professionalism despite the unpredictability of this pandemic.”