Cambridge EMS dispatchers moved to Hamilton due to staffing shortage

The union representing dispatchers at the Cambridge Ambulance Communications Centre says a recent decision by the province to temporarily relocate workers to Hamilton could lead to slower 911 response times.

As of Sunday, dispatchers from the Cambridge facility are working at the Hamilton Central Ambulance Communications Centre.

Lucy Morton, the regional vice president for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says the Hamilton facility has not yet been equipped with a special technology used to locate 911 callers called ANI/ALI.

Morton says being able to find people quickly is crucial for emergency services.

"Sometimes just seconds is the difference between life and death. But if they're delayed and they can't find you, those precious moments may be the last ones you ever have," she said.

Morton says it could take six to eight weeks before the technology is in place.

Staffing shortage to blame

The Cambridge facility is overseen by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Morton says the ministry decided to relocate the dispatchers due to a staffing shortage.

In an email to CBC News, a Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care spokesperson acknowledged "an unexpected staffing shortage."

"The ministry has a plan to stabilize staffing levels and move the 911 calls back to Cambridge as quickly and safely as possible," spokesperson David Jensen wrote. 

"There will be no impact to 911 services in the Waterloo/Wellington area. The ministry is ensuring that when someone calls 911 for an ambulance, an Ambulance Communications Officer will continue to answer the call, dispatch the closest available ambulance and provide the caller with pre-arrival first aid instruction."

Morton says the province has struggled to retain dispatchers due to low pay, a lack of full-time positions and high stress.

"It's a terrible place to work. When you're hearing people at the most vulnerable time in their lives, there's no follow-up, there's no closure, except sometimes what you see in the paper," Morton said. "And they live with this every single day."

In the meantime, Jensen said, "the ministry is working with Bell Canada to ensure Hamilton is equipped with caller location technology. Until then, Guelph and Waterloo Region police dispatchers are available to assist Ambulance Communications Officers during a 911 call with caller location details."