The District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB) is moving ahead with its plans to reshuffle paramedic services in the region in order to ensure as high a standard of service as possible, while keeping as many ambulances on the road where staffing allows.
In a press release issued on Monday, October 21, 2024, DRRSB provided an update to its plan to manage critical staffing shortages of paramedics in the region. Previous reporting discussed the DRRSB’s plan to reshuffle ambulance services throughout the region in order to ensure a continuum of paramedic services for the entire district, a move that was to see the Emo ambulance base the site of the organization’s Community Paramedicine Program, if not necessarily an ambulance. The most recent release states that while the plan is advancing in the face of staffing shortages, DRRSB will be shifting services in the region to a 3-ambulance model – down one car from its current 4-ambulance model – as needed to try to ensure each of the ambulance bases in the district have a working car, while still ensuring working paramedics can take well-deserved, and often necessary, vacation time, said Josh Colling, the chief of paramedicine services for DRRSB.
“Operationally, we will still continue on a daily basis to try to staff our ambulances to the full model,” Colling said.
“But if we can’t, we will do the balanced coverage that we we reference in [the press release], which is we move ambulances around and provide the best coverage and response that we can with what’s available. But also understanding that we have to take care of our staff and make sure that they’re supported, from a retention perspective, that individuals are like getting their time off. Because when you have individuals for several years that have foregone summer and other vacations and have worked multiple years without a holiday and working 27 or 28 days a month. It’s not sustainable, nor is it healthy.”
Colling said that with low staff numbers, they are working to ensure as much ambulance coverage for the district as possible, while still finding time for paramedics to take the breaks they need, and scheduling those breaks based on this 3-ambulance model. He also noted that those models only refer to the service’s 12-hour shifts that run every day of the week, as there is also an 8-hour ambulance that runs from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Regardless, Colling said the goal is always to have as many ambulances on the road as possible, not to just staff three ambulances and call it a day.
In light of this model, and the realities of the paramedic shortage, there’s always a chance that any given ambulance base may face a down staff, Colling said, which could mean that despite their efforts, an ambulance may not operate from that base on a given day, be it Emo, Rainy River or Fort Frances. Colling said they will work to move cars and staff around as necessary and available, which is a continuation of what they have been doing to this point.
“We’re trying to make sure it’s not being perceived as a mirage,” he said.
“If we can;t guarantee that there’s four or five vehicles on the road every day, let’s not tell people there’s gonna be four or five vehicles. It’s trying to be transparent. We’re really short staffed. We’re working to get more, but there are going to be times on some shifts where there’s gaps.”
Colling said the organization has been stepping up its recruitment and retention efforts in order to fight the staffing shortages, highlighting trips taken down to southern Ontario to attend the Para-Mentors paramedicine career fair, something he said they will continue to do more of as they look to hire new paramedics in the region. He also said they are bringing an enhanced presence to schools and high schools to hopefully interest more young people into pursuing a career in paramedicine in the future. On the retention side, he said work is ongoing to make the job more enticing and rewarding.
“We have several letters of understanding that we’ve collaboratively been able to put together and push through,” he said.
“It just made things a little more attractive, some different shift schedules, some part time, casual language that will hopefully attract some individuals in, some base change, mileage, a few other premium pieces that will hopefully make the employer more attractive with individuals, but also from the retention perspective.”
In its press release RRDSB said it was continuing to work with municipal counterparts and the provincial government to further enhance retention and recruitment efforts. The RRDSB provided a link to their retention and recruitment page, where members of the public can go to see some of the different things they are doing to help alleviate the staffing shortage, but also they can leave their own suggestions for how the region might better attract and keep professional paramedics, something Colling said he was excited to see.
“We appreciate the public sharing, especially our recruitment promotional information, as we’re sharing on social media and other venues,,” he said.
“It’s a collaborative community effort. It is a community organization. All the feedback [we receive] is completely reviewed in detail. I’m really excited for the prospect individuals ideas. I think the more heads we put on this the better. I just kind of wanted to flag that opportunity that, you know, there is a process in which individuals can provide input ideas, which I think is critical.”
Colling also extended his thanks to the current staff of paramedics who are continuing to work the front lines within the district, stressing that they are doing “great work” in spite of being short staffed.
“On a daily basis, they are working hard, lots of overtime, going lots of calls, providing professional service, keeping up with the latest in standards and technology to deliver high quality care,” he said.
“I don’t want to discount that. The front line is doing great work. They’re in the community, providing the service. They’re doing what they can. It just comes back to that 30 percent plus piece. We just don’t have enough people right to support all the calls.”
To read more about DRRSB’s recruitment and retention efforts, or to fill out the idea submission form, visit rrdssab.ca/paramedic-recruitment-and-retention/.
