One more press briefing by our Premier under our belt, and I continue to lack confidence in our direction here in Ontari-ari-ari-o!. Covid closing and opening plans are on a sliding scale. Virus testing was suspended in some instances, and infection statistics are being withheld. Mr. Premier: are the numbers being skewed in your attempt to falsely make Ontarians feel better about themselves?
I have always hesitated to politicize my thoughts. Having strong opinions and being considered vocal by many, I walked a fine line staying out of trouble over the years. Paramedic’s occupational health and safety was a principle I dove into decades ago, experiencing some success at the Provinces’ expense. Last Saturday’s blog put me in the fray of a present-day cause that I have skirted for some time. Today is the day to come out of the weeds.
Working as an EMS supervisor for three-plus decades, paramedics and dispatchers alike around me would tell you I was a rule follower. Handing out discipline for not abiding by our industry’s established policies and procedures is an obligation that accompanies the authority. Dealing out correction and control measures to maintain the standards of our profession never meant I was not on the same side as the paramedics serving our community. The same support applies to our dispatchers, though I did not supervise communicators.
Every dispatcher has my respect and support for their profession. You only have to read a blog I posted on January 15. The predicament that communicators are literally trapped in did not appear overnight. The conditions in their comm centres have been building for over a decade, a plight that mirrors the “offload” scandal imprisoning paramedics in the ER’s. Workloads are over the top, causing unimaginable stress and, yes, mistakes with consequences.
Emergency management educators have opined that the “system” will break down when one person has exceeded a reasonable “span of control.” That is to say, there is a limit to anyone’s ability to juggle balls. The control is over emergency calls for ambulances and paramedics or responders in this case. In my opinion, dispatchers are falling prey to the “boiled frog syndrome.”
Sitting in a pot of water on a stove, everything starts out just fine. As the heat increases, the victim adapts as they know best; dispatchers are experts at adapting. Eventually, the pot boils, and the frog succumbs to the heat. The heat in the case of communicators translates to burnout, health problems and some dangerous conditions. A state that is difficult to sidestep while seated in a radio room for forty-plus hours a week.
The victims, a.k.a dispatchers, are screaming, turning the volume up with lost time from the workplace. And that’s before the virus was introduced; that conundrum just exacerbated the disaster. Unfortunately, social media traffic only raises awareness with fellow workers and a narrow group downstream.
The actual noise is falling on deaf ears. The audience that this issue should bring to its feet is in Toronto at the Provincial emergency services hub. In this case, the Ministry of Health Emergency Health Services Branch. The lines of communication between the administrators there and Queens Park should be alive. The buck should stop with the Minister of Health and our Premier.
Deliberate solutions and actions leading to increased resources in the dispatch centres and mobilizing additional ambulances should be on the tongues of all involved. Hell, throw in a workable plan for patients to exit the emergency rooms to hospital floors, making room for new patients.
I am afraid, having lived through multiple decades in our province’s pre-hospital care system, that someone will call for a “study.” Some bright light east of London, and it could be a politician or a senior public servant, will suggest a cautious approach with a temporary fix. Don’t get me wrong, I have listened to some very trusted individuals regarding “evidence-based care” in our industry. I agree with that premise in the case of emerging data on medications and emergency procedures.
In the case of our provincial shortfall of dispatchers and paramedics, compelling evidence is staring us all in the proverbial face. Ambulances are lined up on hospital ramps, their patients lying on stretchers in emergency room holding areas. Then, the “CODE RED /CODE ZERO” conditions recur throughout the province when there are NO ambulances available to respond. Finally, dispatchers working in communications centres are forced to hold calls while their hands are tied.
Mr. Ford, evidence-based patient care regimens aren’t worth a damn if you can’t get to the patients’ side. I am way beyond your practice of over-promising and under-delivering. Your constituents are in dire need of that care our province has experienced in the past. We desperately need it back, and now.
Today, it’s nearly impossible to feel better when the number of deaths is at such a high level. Mr. Ford: pull up your socks. You resemble Nero fiddling as Rome (Ontario) burns around you. I understand and don’t blame you for your attempts at re-election; it’s your bent. You’re a politician. But serve the people first, then yourself.
Doug: things have an uncanny way of working out. This is not like shovelling snow. You will be judged for your patient care on or about June 2, 2022. Will it be first aid or CPR?