New Brunswick paramedics raise concerns about new ambulance dispatch system
The Paramedic Association of New Brunswick is now weighing in on a new 911-ambulance dispatch system called Logis that came online in early January.
“There is absolutely no way that this organization should be allowed to continue on with this Logis system,” said Chris Hood, executive director for The Paramedic Association of New Brunswick.
He cites problems like incorrect routing information, dispatching ambulances that are further away from the call and a lack of information.
“Paramedics working in ambulances don’t know what’s going on around them,” said Hood. “So in situations where they might not be the closet ambulance, nobody else in the system in the area knows they’re being dispatched to a paramedic response. So they, in fact, may not be the closest unit, but no body else knows about it."
He notes that, “if paramedics can’t even know where the calls are, how are they expected to respond to them?”
As CTV Atlantic first reported Wednesday, fire departments are bringing up their own issue: a drop in medical calls since the new system came into effect.
“Our call volume for medical calls went down approximately one call per day,” said Robin True, chief of Riverview Fire and Rescue.
Other stations are seeing no calls at all.
“It’s not unusual for us not to get a call, maybe for two weeks, but there’s been nothing,” said Greg Partridge, chief of Dorchester Fire and Rescue.
Fire Chief Greg Partridge of Dorchester Fire and Rescue is pictured on Feb. 1, 2023. (Alana Pickrell/CTV)
The Paramedic Association says cellular technology is now being used for dispatch and makes it unreliable especially in rural areas like Deer Island.
“The cellular coverage is terrible and the paramedic crews don’t receive notification of their calls of service and three or four minutes after the dispatch centre has sent the call via the cellular technology, they’ll get a call from dispatch saying, ‘Where are you? Why haven’t you responded to the call?’ And they’re like, ‘We didn’t even know there was a call because our cellular phones don’t really work on the island unless we stand on the roof of the ambulance station,’” said Hood.
He says that he’s spoken with multiple managers who are upset with the new system, but are unable to speak out publically.
“Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said. “Let’s own up to the fact that this was a mistake. Let’s go back to what we were doing. Let’s stop the bleeding, because right now the system is bleeding.”
Adding, “To me, it’s like your computer when you do a major upgrade and it doesn’t work. You go back to a reset point and you go back to the old system and then you fix it before you implement it.”
CTV News has been asking for information from the Department of Justice and Public Safety since Tuesday, informing them about the safety issues being raised, however, government refused to comment and said inquires should be directed to Medavie Health Services.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.