By Victoria Newman
Whether there is a pandemic or not, people still need emergency services.
Tracy Dietrich, program coordinator of the Emergency Telecommunications program at Fanshawe College, highlighted how COVID-19 has impacted the industry and her program.
“Dealing with the pandemic on top of your regular day to day calls is much more hectic. And I think, particularly for EMS, they notice a shift when lockdowns occur and vaccination clinics close,” she said.
Working in a 911 call centre is already stressful for the people who answer the phones but COVID has only increased that stress.
Also, they are seeing a shift in the number and types of calls coming in which “flows with what’s happening out in the world.” By this Dietrich means that when the case counts are up, and outbreaks are occurring then there are fewer calls for less emergent assistance. This is “because people are less willing to go to a hospital and sit there for several hours,” she pointe