'Normal to see 5-minute hold times': 911 service in B.C. 'in crisis' due to underfunding, union says

Operators at E-Comm, B.C.'s 911 dispatch service, in an undated file photo.

The president of the union representing E-Comm workers in British Columbia says the province's 911 service is in crisis, with five-minute hold times on emergency calls becoming the "new normal."

In an open letter to British Columbians published Wednesday, Emergency Communications Professionals of B.C. (CUPE 8911) president Donald Grant says a lack of stable funding and a loss of skilled workers to other agencies is putting people at risk.

"We are taught from a young age that, when there’s an emergency, we should reach for the nearest phone and dial 911. And when we dial those three numbers, there is a base-level expectation that the call will be answered immediately, and help will be sent fast. Because every second counts," Grant said in the letter.

"It has sadly become 'the new normal' to see five-minute hold times on emergency lines and hours-long waits on non-emergency lines. Five minutes might not seem very long. But when you’re having a heart attack, tending to a badly injured child, comforting a dying car accident victim, or witnessing a senior in distress during a heat dome, you need help fast," he added. "Each second that passes can feel like a lifetime."

The B.C. Ministry of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter Wednesday.

In June, the ministry said it had added 42 new full-time dispatcher positions, but the union argued that existing staff were leaving E-Comm faster than they could be replaced.

Grant says many of the union's most skilled 911 operators are leaving E-Comm for better pay and more manageable workloads elsewhere. He says the province's 911 system is now "in crisis" due to underfunding and understaffing, with 28 per cent of remaining staff currently on leave from their jobs.

"Those of us who remain are working more overtime – and, more frequently, forced overtime—to meet minimum staffing levels," Grant said.

"When delays increase the risk for greater suffering – as witnessed during the heat domes – you know the system is broken. This is completely unacceptable for British Columbians."

In response to the union president's letter, a spokesperson for E-Comm said the organization shares the union's concerns about lack of staff and funding, and urged local and provincial governments to find a new funding model for the 911 service.

"We recognize provincial and local governments have limited resources, but we need to find a way to ensure the critical public safety services E-Comm provides are appropriately managed, delivered and resourced," E-Comm spokesperson Jasmine Bradley said in an email to CTV News.

"This is why we are working closely with our first responder partners and governments at both levels – provincial and municipal – to ensure we are providing the best services possible."