Protest congestion can affect emergency response, paramedics warn
CBC
As hundreds of vehicles snarled traffic in downtown Vancouver on Saturday to support a cross-Canada protest against vaccine mandates, one paramedic worried he wasn't going to get a tiny patient to hospital in time.
"I had a six-month-old having anaphylaxis … very, very serious, and unfortunately our response and our transport was slowed down because of this," said the paramedic.
"And I know I'm not the only one."
CBC News has granted the paramedic anonymity over fears he could be fired for speaking out.
He said he respects people's right to protest and gather but the congestion on the roads Saturday made it difficult for people like him to do their jobs.
"The challenge was that every single road artery in and out of the city was blocked," he said. "It didn't matter which way we went ... even with lights and sirens trying to clear the way."
Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that requires urgent treatment.
The paramedic said he eventually made it to hospital in time and the baby received the care they needed to recover.
He said for the most part people weren't disrespectful or intentionally trying to get in the way of his ambulance, but the stress of potentially not getting to hospital in time was excruciating.
"This job is challenging enough. It was a brutal feeling," he said. "The patient comes first and I couldn't do that. Honestly, it broke my heart. I'm still having a hard time with it."
The protest in Vancouver on Saturday was held in solidarity with the thousands of protesters who arrived in Ottawa on the weekend to protest vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions, in what's been dubbed the Freedom Convoy.
Similar rallies took place in Kelowna, Prince George and Victoria on Saturday.
Police in Vancouver and Victoria said other than traffic congestion throughout the cities, there were no issues and all convoy participants obeyed all rules of the road.
In Ottawa on Sunday honking and cheering continued as thousands of protesters gathered near Parliament Hill.
