New concerns have emerged regarding ambulance staffing in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., following a reduction in the local emergency department’s operating hours several months ago. Due to a shortage of doctors, the community in northeast B.C. has been without evening and weekend emergency services since September.
Mayor Darryl Krakowka disclosed that residents were promised an additional ambulance to address the service gap and transport patients over 100 kilometers to Dawson Creek’s nearest hospital when necessary. However, data from B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) indicates that both ambulances are not consistently fully staffed.
Between September and December 2025, BCEHS reported that one ambulance was staffed for 92% of shifts on average, while the second ambulance was staffed for 83% of shifts. Krakowka, a former paramedic with almost a decade of service in the community, expressed his concern about days when there might be a shortage of ambulance coverage.
BCEHS responded by hiring 10 full-time paramedics to support the second ambulance after the reduction in emergency department hours. During the period from September 1, 2025, to January 7, 2026, ambulance crews in Tumbler Ridge handled 194 emergency calls and patient transfers, with 158 managed locally and 36 by crews from neighboring areas.
According to BCEHS, ambulances stationed in Tumbler Ridge also responded to 34 emergencies or patient transfers in the surrounding region, emphasizing that the closest available ambulance is dispatched during emergencies. Despite this, Krakowka highlighted the community’s ongoing fear of inadequate ambulance coverage.
Northern Health confirmed ongoing efforts to recruit medical staff to reinstate emergency department hours. A new doctor is expected to join Tumbler Ridge in spring 2027, with additional recruitment for a nurse practitioner and two family doctors positions in progress.
Krakowka urged Northern Health to explore interim solutions like virtual care or temporary deployment of doctors from nearby communities. He also emphasized the significance of retaining the second ambulance in Tumbler Ridge once full emergency department hours are reinstated, noting the importance of the paramedics who have become integral members of the community.
