Yukon communities need more EMS volunteers to fill service gaps, gov't says

The Yukon Government said it's doing everything it can to improve emergency medical services in Yukon communities, but the territory needs more volunteers.

Recently, people in Watson Lake and Dawson City have expressed concern over gaps in local services, including the lack of an available ambulance or paramedic which has led to local fire departments responding to medical emergency calls.

"When it comes to actual coverage [in Dawson]," explained Ryan Soucy, Yukon's deputy chief of technical operations with emergency medical services (EMS), "We do staff two full time primary care paramedics, Monday to Friday.

"We have four auxiliary on-call primary care paramedics ... and then we have six active community responders which are volunteer responders."

In Watson Lake, Soucy said there are four full time primary care paramedics, four auxiliary on-call paramedics, and seven community responders. He said service is available seven days a week during daytime hours.

And Soucy acknowledged that even with many paramedics in the communities, service gaps can occur.

"Within the timeframe of after-hours with volunteers ... They can sign up for a shift and at any given time they can remove themselves from their shifts," Soucy said.

"So some of that short-notice stuff is where we're seeing the reach out to other services."

Soucy said when there is an extended period when service isn't available within the schedule, paramedics from Whitehorse will be sent to the community. He said four new "float" positions have been created so when there is a lapse in a community's local EMS, a paramedic can be readily available to travel to serve the community.

Soucy also said EMS relies on community involvement.

"The more people that are volunteering with EMS, the less gaps in service that we're going to see," he told CBC News.

Soucy said anyone who is interested in volunteering can contact Yukon EMS directly. He said all of the training is paid for, volunteers receive an honorarium when on call, and get paid when they are responding to a call.

"Volunteerism is what keeps our communities alive, and going," he said. 

Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) president Ted Laking said he agrees with Soucy that more people stepping up to fill volunteer positions would help fill service gaps, but he said the Yukon Government also needs to step up and support those volunteers better.