Response Times

B.C. emergency officials defend 9-1-1 response times

Posted on Tue, Apr 15, 2014 - 12:00pm

Tags:

Bookmark/Search this post with

Emergency officials are defending changes to how ambulance crews respond to 9-1-1 calls, rejecting claims that patients are being put at risk or are being made to wait significantly longer for medical help.

By downgrading many types of routine or “comfort” calls, ambulances are able to respond more quickly to critically ill patients, and are making roads safer for other drivers because lights and sirens are being used less often, said B.C. Emergency Health Services board chairman Wynne Powell.