SOLID Outreach says a new strategy where paramedics and firefighters have to wait for police to arrive before responding to some blocks of Pandora Avenue could be a matter of life and death.
Dozens of police officers from across Greater Victoria responded to the 900 block of Pandora Avenue last week after police said a paramedic was assaulted while providing service.
The paramedic was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect, Hayden Hamlyn, was arrested and charged with one count of Assault Causing Bodily Harm, one count of Assault with a Weapon, and one count of Willfully Resisting or Obstructing a Peace Officer.
Watch the report below:
The assault sparked a new change into how first responders attend calls along Pandora Avenue.
“They will no longer be responding to the 900-block of Pandora unless they’re accompanied by the Victoria police department,” said VicPD Chief Del Manak.
In a press release, Manak wrote he is forming a new strategy with BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) and Victoria Fire on how service calls will look moving forward. VicPD did not have those details Monday when asked by CHEK News.
READ PREVIOUS: Firefighters, paramedics to wait for police backup before responding to 900 block of Pandora
Fred Cameron with SOLID Outreach says delaying the response time of first responders could be the difference between life and death.
“We need paramedics to come as soon as possible … when it comes down to it, people can get brain damage or even die if it takes too long by a matter of seconds or minutes,” said Cameron.
With already a limited staff, Cameron is worried about an increased strain on the services they provide to their clients. He says that while they’re trained to an extent as first responders, a delay in emergency response from BCEHS and Victoria Fire would stretch them thin.
“We’re at capacity, I would say, 90 per cent of the time, and our staff is maxed out at the best of times. So if there’s an overdose, we still have the same need on the block, but nobody’s providing food, housing support, peer support,” said Cameron.
Trust between first responders and those living on the street would also further erode, according to Cameron. But B.C.’s public safety minister says that is being kept in mind as the new strategy is formed.
“That was something they were particularly concerned about and wanted to put a fair bit of focus on,” said Mike Farnworth.
“People need help and they need it right away. At the same time, we must ensure that our health care providers, our first responders are safe when they respond to a call.”
1,300 calls for service in one year
BCEHS says between April 2023 and April 2024, paramedics were called to the 800, 900, and 1000 block of Pandora Avenue 1,395 times, averaging an amount of four calls per day.
The lowest number of calls for service was 91 in October 2023, and the highest was 119 in June 2023.
“This includes both events initiated by 911 calls and events initiated by paramedics (i.e., where paramedics come upon a person in need of medical care),” said BCEHS in an email.
Victoria Fire saw fewer calls, but its average number of calls for service continues to increase.
Nearly 1,500 calls have been made to the 900 block of Pandora since 2022, with the highest number of calls made in 2023. This year, there have been only 392 calls, but so far the city says firefighters are averaging two calls per day along that block.
In comparison, firefighters averaged 1.38 calls a day in 2022 and 1.64 a day in 2023.
“Some days we will attend several times in a 24-hour period (5,6 responses), and some days we may not attend at all,” said the city in an email.
“Depending on the nature of the emergency, we may be actively involved in an incident for as little as a few minutes or as long as an hour.”
Farnworth tells CHEK News that he is in close contact with VicPD on how this strategy will form, saying he hopes that last week’s assault was a “rare occurrence.”
Oli Herrera
