No one is saving the only home base for paramedics in West Vancouver.
As West Van’s ambulance station is overcome with rot, the staff and emergency vehicle dedicated to serve residents in the municipality are now spending their down time in North Vancouver at the Econo Lodge Inn & Suites – on a property that’s slated for redevelopment.
The building at 1542 Fulton Ave. was deemed uninhabitable in December, forcing the West Van paramedics to relocate for a short time at the municipality’s nearby firehall, and then to the North Vancouver ambulance station underneath Lions Gate Hospital.
It wasn’t until May 21 that the crew was put up at the Econo Lodge, according to BC Emergency Health Services.
It’s a frustrating situation for the paramedics, who have been without a proper West Van station for one or two years, said Ian Tait, spokesperson for the Ambulance Paramedics of BC union.
“That building has been in disrepair for a decade. And the supervisors, the unit chiefs, the members, we’ve all been bringing that to BC EHS’s attention for years and years and years, and they did absolutely nothing,” he said.
The municipality owns the building, and BC EHS’s facilities department is supposed to take care of maintenance, Tait added.
This is a common situation with ambulance stations in the province, and North Van was a prime example until recently, he said.
“North Van station was an absolute … dump for 30 years, until they finally got the new station located in the basement of Lions Gate Hospital,” Tait said.
One of the main reasons the West Van paramedics had to leave the Fulton Avenue building is because the mould got so bad, he said.
“That mould has been bad like that for years, and it was all brought to the managers and the directors,” Tait said, adding that the issue wasn’t repaired. “Someone [from the district] finally came in before Christmas. They were like, ‘Listen, humans can’t be in here. This is not safe.’”
Building deteriorated beyond regular repair, BC EHS says
BC EHS is aware of the condition of the former West Van station and the need to relocate the crew has been “very challenging for our dedicated employees,” a spokesperson said.
“Our paramedics deserve to have appropriate station facilities, and we are working to ensure that our employees have the space and amenities they need while we work to secure a permanent building for the West Vancouver station,” the spokesperson said.
Under the lease agreement for the former station, BC EHS and the Provincial Health Services Authority had a duty to complete general repairs and maintenance, the spokesperson continued.
“PHSA facilities, which oversaw maintenance for this station, ensured that all building systems had preventative maintenance plans and were in working order. However, over the years, the building’s overall condition had deteriorated beyond what would be covered under regular repair and maintenance,” the BC EHS spokesperson said.
“The building required significant capital investments that would typically be the owner’s responsibility,” the spokesperson added.
BC EHS and PHSA have been in discussions with the District of West Van to lease another building, but an agreement hasn’t been finalized yet.
“While those discussions continue, BCEHS determined that basing our West Vancouver crews in the Econo Lodge on Capilano Road would best meet our operational needs,” the spokesperson said.
Relocating the ambulance hasn’t significantly impacted service levels, she added.
“In fact, average emergency response times have remained comparable despite increase in call volume during the past four months,” the spokesperson said.
Permanent station will be built at Cypress Village, mayor says
West Van Mayor Mark Sager said it was the province’s responsibility to maintain the ambulance building.
“We find out they haven’t,” he said. “It’s very clear in the lease that it was their responsibility.”
The district cares “a great deal” about having adequate housing for ambulance drivers, Sager said. Another building on Fulton Avenue has been offered for that purpose at a modest rate, he added.
“And now I hear through the grapevine, they’re going to go to an Econo Lodge or something. I mean, this is all news to us,” Sager said.
But another Fulton Avenue ambulance station would only be temporary too, as that entire block is slated to be redeveloped into housing. In two years or so, the district plans to build a permanent station at the upcoming Cypress Village community, he said.
“That’s the perfect spot because you have highway access, it’s closer to the all the physical activity places,” he said. “That’s where we believe in the long term it should go.”
Tait said that paramedics don’t need a $5-million firehall, but that some investment into a permanent facility is required.
“We’re looking for a basic-needs accommodation that fits with our busy call volume, like a place to come back, maybe put your food in the microwave, a little bit of time to decompress after a tough call,” he said. “We don’t need the Taj Mahal in every community, but we need to have at least some basic level of accountability and quality there.”
[email protected]
twitter.com/nick_laba
@nicklaba.bsky.social‬
Want to stay updated on North Vancouver and West Vancouver news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
