Port Alberni City Council wants to see its fire department responding to fewer medical calls.

The Port Alberni Fire Department saw a two percent decrease in calls in 2024, but it was still the second busiest year on record, fire chief Mike Owens told council on Jan. 13. Call volume in general has gone up more than 75 percent from 2019 to 2024. The majority of calls that the department responds to are medical first responder calls, which contributes to burnout for firefighters, said Owens.

鈥淭he number of medical calls has gone up by more than 120 percent," said Owens. "The prevalence of overdoses in the community has skyrocketed during that same period of time. All of it adds one more straw on the camel鈥檚 back.鈥�

Councillor Todd Patola proposed making a change where firefighters only respond to calls coded "Red" or "Purple" (which are immediately life-threatening calls). He explained that he wants to focus the fire department's tasks on those that are "essential" to the community.

鈥淲e need to keep finances in focus alongside support for our community and services to the population that lives here,鈥� said Patola.

Mayor Sharie Minions voted against the change. Although she admitted that the scope of service for the fire department has 鈥渄rastically expanded鈥� over the years, she doesn't want anyone left waiting for an emergency response when there are resources available.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel that we should leave a person in our community waiting without medical care when they could have a first responder there,鈥� she said. 鈥淪omeone with a broken hip could be left in their home for hours until BC Ambulance is able to get to them. I don鈥檛 think we should leave a senior in our community unable to have medical care.鈥�

Councillor Dustin Dame voted in favour of the change, pointing out that although the city can鈥檛 control paramedic service in the community (which is a provincial jurisdiction), it can control the level of service that the fire department provides.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 by any means a silver bullet for the problems we鈥檙e facing, but I think it鈥檚 a step,鈥� said Dame. 鈥淭he system is not working the way it was intended to right now. What we鈥檙e currently doing isn鈥檛 sustainable.鈥�

Council voted to reduce the medical first responder level of service for the fire department to only respond to calls coded "Red" or "Purple" or where British Columbia Emergency Health Services requires assistance with rescue, access or lifting a patient.

Council also agreed to review the decision in six months.