May 1 is First Responders Day, a day of recognition and gratitude for the skilled and selfless people who help save lives when emergencies strike. It is the honour of CUPE Ontario and the CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario (CACO) to pay tribute to CUPE paramedics and dispatchers and all frontline first responders, who are always on the job in times of crisis and trauma.
CUPE Ontario and CACO are proud to represent these members and advocate for the conditions that make it possible for them to serve their communities. These workers provide the vital emergency services that residents rely on and they are determined to offer the best care possible to people in need.
However, that goal is impossible to meet in the face of inflationary pressures, a year-long lag for provincial funding, stagnating wages and short staffing.
CUPE members working in Ontario’s emergency medical services must also contend daily with ambulance shortages, lack of hospital capacity, emergency room closures and heavy workloads. They face high levels of stress and burnout, affecting both their mental and physical health. The burdens that first responders carry have led to a crisis in recruitment; the shortage of new paramedics and dispatchers is a looming problem in municipalities across the province.
These issues don’t only affect first responders; overstretched emergency services and overtaxed workers also put at risk the health and safety of people who need urgent care.
This year, CUPE paramedics met with MPPs at Queen’s Park to bring attention to the ongoing crisis in EMS. As workers, CUPE EMS members are determined to be part of the solution, so they can continue to provide the expected levels and quality of care for people in need. Among the measure they proposed:
- a provincial staffing strategy for emergency services
- more investment in first responders’ mental health
- permanent funding for an expanded community paramedicine program
- leadership from the province, which can and must increase funding for urgent care.
Adequate funding for emergency services and investments in EMS staffing are key to the provision of high-quality emergency medical care.
In recognition of First Responders Day, CUPE members can ensure that Doug Ford and his Conservative MPPs take heed of EMS workers’ demands: visit 911wecantwait.ca to learn more and send a message to the Ford government, demanding that it fix the crisis in emergency medical services.
