Overview of the British Columbia Ambulance Service

The BCAS is Canada's only provincially-operated ambulance service, and provides emergency pre-hospital treatment and transportation by ambulance to the public and visitors to BC.

Not all BC communities, particularly in the more isolated and rural areas, have 911 service. In some areas it may be necessary to look in the emergency pages section of the phone book for the emergency ambulance number, or to go through the telephone operator. All telephoned requests for ambulance service are directed to one of three regional dispatch centres, which provide call-taking and call assessment services, as well as communications links which facilitate contact with and the dispatch of ground ambulances. If an air ambulance is requested, the regional dispatch centre will put the caller into contact with the Provincial Air Ambulance Coordination Centre in Victoria (PAACC).

Job sites within BC fall under the jurisdiction of the Workers' Compensation Board of BC. Under WCB regulations, the transportation of employees who are injured on the job is the responsibility of the employer, who may elect to utilize the BCAS for this role. The BCAS has always maintained a well-functioning and cooperative relationship with employers in this regard. If called to respond on an emergency call, workers can expect the BCAS ambulance response to be carried out as quickly and effectively as our resources permit.

BCAS paramedics are deployed from 191 ambulance stations located throughout the province. Service in rural areas is largely provided by part-time staff paramedics trained to the Paramedic 1 level who respond to a page issued from the regional dispatch centre.

In urban areas, ambulance stations are staffed by a mix of full-time and part-time paramedics. In the major metropolitan areas Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic service is available. Response times in metropolitan areas are measured against a standard of less than eight minutes for the most urgent calls. Response times in rural areas are predominately determined by the distance traveled to an accident scene.

BCAS paramedics are not trained or licensed to perform search and rescue operations or detailed auto extrication procedures. Fire departments and rescue societies perform this function at scene responses. Patients are transported to the nearest medical facility where the appropriate care is available.

The primary mode of ambulance response is ground transport. Helicopter scene response is based on a number of criteria including patient condition, estimated time to hospital, as well as operational factors such as weather conditions and the availability of safe landing zones. If used, a helicopter will usually respond to an airport or recognized helipad to meet a ground ambulance.

At times, a physician will make the determination that the patient should be transported to a higher level of care, probably to one of the regional referral hospitals in Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Victoria or Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. This interhospital transportation role comprises the major focus of the BCAS Airevac Program. The sending physician will decide on the mode of transport, whether it be by ground or air, the medical equipment and personnel required for the trip, and the urgency of the transport.

In a coordinated process often utilizing BC Bedline resources, the highest priority requests for air evacuation are actioned immediately, as the airevac dispatcher initiates a process of marshalling aircraft, flight crew and paramedics into flight preparation and operation. Depending on where the airevac aircraft is located, its destination and flight time, and the possible necessity for the paramedics to drive from the airport or landing area to a hospital, the actual transport time may stretch to several hours. Air evacuations are conducted under stringent air safety standards to ensure the safety of our patients, family members, paramedics and flight crews.

Last Revised: February 15, 2007