The nine-year public health emergency related to B.C’.s toxic drug crisis may have a reached a tragic breaking point.
Today (Friday), the Ambulance Paramedics of BC is sounding the alarm of a mental health crisis following a record number of paramedic suicides during the first half of this year.
This year, nine paramedics have passed away. The agency noted while some of the deaths were due to health issues or accidents, many of their members died by suicide – deaths likely connected to the job’s many stressors.
“We are witnessing unprecedented levels of mental health and wellness claims amongst our members, and now, a significant and heartbreaking increase in suicides,” says Jason Jackson, President of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC. “It’s clear to all of us that we desperately need help, and more importantly, tangible solutions.”
In Prince George, paramedics saw a minimal decline in their overdose call volume in 2024.
According to BC Emergency Health Services, local medics took in 1,758 drug poisoning/overdose calls last year, down slightly from 2023 where the tally was 1,833.
Despite the drop, Prince George still had the fifth highest overdose call volume among communities in British Columbia.
“These numbers are staggering,” Jackson emphasized. “We’re deeply concerned that these figures are lagging indicators of the extreme workload, chronic understaffing, and an increase in call volumes our members face daily. From the pandemic to the never-ending opioid crisis, and even the devastating heat dome, on top of our already busy regular calls, our members simply never get a break. We understand the commitment we made when we chose this profession, but there has never been a more relentlessly busy period in emergency healthcare for first responders.”
The northern capital trailed Vancouver (9,564), Surrey (3,335), Victoria (2,381) and Kelowna (2,032).
Here is the yearly breakdown in PG over the last nine years.
2016 – 362
2017 – 461
2018 – 594
2019 – 626
2020 – 999
2021 – 1,307
2022 – 1,466
2023 – 1,833
2024 – 1,758
Across the province, paramedics responded to nearly a million calls for service in 2024.
In addition, 30% of paramedics and dispatchers are either off work battling mental health challenges or are working while receiving treatment.
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