Frankly Speaking

Ambulance response times in Surrey are again under scrutiny, after release of a letter from Surrey fire chief Len Garis to Linda Lupini, executive vice-president of the Provincial Health Services Authority. The issue of ambulance response times in Surrey has once again been pushed to the forefront, largely thanks to the persistence of a reporter. It came up in connection with the tragic death of Dario Bartoli, 15, after an apparent swarming on Dec. 14, 2014, at 154 Street and 18 Avenue in South Surrey. Janet Brown, a longtime CKNW reporter who lives in Surrey, heard shortly after the death that Surrey fire chief Len Garis had written a letter to the ambulance service about its response time. She asked the City of Surrey for a copy of the letter. It sent back a copy with almost everything blanked out. She appealed the city’s decision to not release the contents of the letter to the provincial freedom of information office, which after a series of delays finally released m...

Changes to the ambulance service, announced on Feb. 5 by the B.C. Emergency Health Services, should prove beneficial to residents in Surrey and Delta. A total of eight new ambulances are being added, and 34 paramedics are being hired. Three of the eight new ambulances will be based in Surrey, and none of them will be based in Vancouver. The city of Vancouver, with its high concentration of health institutions, has long been well-served by the ambulance service. The BCEHS has recognized that it is the fast-growing regions around the city that need help the most. Thus Langley and Abbotsford will also get two new ambulances each, while the North Shore will get the eighth one. Meanwhile, in the Tri-City area, new paramedics will be hired. This is a significant recognition that, in fast-growing areas (mostly within Fraser Health Authority), thee level of service provided isn’t up to the highest standards. BCEHS is targeting that in 75 per cent of calls for service, an ambulance w...