More deaths are likely if firefighters and paramedics have to wait for a police escort before responding to medical calls in the 900-block of Pandora, says a spokesperson for Our Place Society. Grant McKenzie said Our Place, which provides services for the street community, responds to overdoses as quickly as possible, but it closes at 7:30 p.m.
“So anything that happens after 7:30 at night, if the paramedics aren’t coming on the block, there’s a good chance that there will be more deaths.”
The change in protocol follows an incident July 11 where a paramedic was hurt while attending to a patient.
Paramedics had been flagged down to help a man in need of medical attention, who ended up kicking a paramedic in the face and pursuing them before police used a Taser on him. Residents of the block swarmed first responders during the incident.
The paramedic has been released from hospital and continues to be off work while recovering at home, said Brian Twaites, paramedic public information officer. The incident has had an impact on all paramedics, who, like other first responders, have been experiencing an increase in violence while doing their jobs, Twaites said.
“Paramedics are there to help people and when something like this happens, it’s very frightening for the paramedics. It’s very concerning, and quite frankly, it’s unacceptable,” he said.
B.C. Emergency Health Services does not have data on incidents involving violence against paramedics, but it has “certainly escalated,” said Twaites, noting he was himself assaulted during his 38-year career as a paramedic.
Twaites said the decision to wait for police before responding to a call might result in delays, but it’s standard operating procedure for paramedics to wait until a scene is safe.
“How are we going to keep continuing to help people and provide care if our paramedics are injured from incidents like this?”
Firefighters will still respond to fires in the area without police escort, said Jeremy Wilson, president of the Victoria Firefighters’ Association, but new guidelines tell firefighters to wait for police when responding to medical calls.
It will be a similar situation in the 500-block of Ellice Street, where there is a concentration of people who are unhoused.
Firefighters will now send two trucks, meaning a minimum of six firefighters, and they’ll wait nearby for paramedics to arrive before attending medical calls together, Wilson said.
As for the July 11 incident, McKenzie said the person involved had experienced about 30 seizures over the past six months and his behaviour had changed dramatically as a result of multiple brain injuries.
When he came out of a seizure, he would be violent and uncontrollable, he said.
“Afterwards, he would be heartsick because he didn’t know what he did and he didn’t know why he did it. You know, even in the middle of a violent episode, he would be screaming out: ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ ” McKenzie said.
It was clear he was in need of medical attention and that he posed a risk to himself and others if he didn’t get help, McKenzie said.
Our Place staff wanted the man to be taken to hospital for psychological and physical assessments so he could get the help he needed and the community would be safe, McKenzie said.
They talked to police and paramedics about having the man taken involuntarily and temporarily into care under the Mental Health Act so he could be assessed.
“None of them could do it. They wouldn’t take our word for it that something had happened. They almost had to witness it in the moment,” he said.
Hayden Hamlyn has been charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer in connection with the July 11 incident.
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