The union representing medical dispatchers in Nova Scotia has raised concerns about the frequency of issues in getting ambulances to emergency calls, citing a recent incident in Halifax where urgent calls from police went unanswered for 40 minutes. According to the union, insufficient staffing, inadequate training, and the use of outdated maps in a new dispatch system have led to delays in emergency responses.
Jeff Callaghan, the national director of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers representing Nova Scotia medical dispatchers, stated that incidents of people calling for help and ambulances not arriving occur regularly. The union highlighted these concerns following a recent report from Nova Scotia’s police watchdog, the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), which investigated a specific incident in February.
The SIRT report detailed an incident where a man in a mental health crisis required medical assistance, but delays in dispatching paramedics resulted in a tragic outcome. The report emphasized challenges in communication between police and Emergency Health Services (EHS) dispatch systems, noting issues with the new dispatch system’s implementation and the use of outdated maps.
Callaghan mentioned that staffing shortages at the communications center contribute to delays, with calls sometimes getting stacked in a queue without immediate dispatch. The introduction of a new dispatch system in January 2025 raised concerns among staff, particularly regarding the accuracy of the maps being used.
On the other hand, Kevin MacMullin, the business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 727 representing Nova Scotia paramedics, echoed similar sentiments about ambulance dispatching challenges due to staffing issues and communication delays.
The company managing the dispatch system, Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC), stated that efforts are being made to enhance communication and response processes across agencies. EMC also mentioned hiring over 120 staff members since January to address these issues.
Both union representatives emphasized the need for improvements in the dispatching system and staffing levels to ensure timely and effective emergency responses in Nova Scotia.
