Some Kamloops firefighters have already begun getting additional training to help them better respond to an increase in medical calls.

That is according to Chief Ken Uzeloc, who tells NL News the plan is to upgrade training from the “first responder” to the “emergency medical responder” level so firefighters can do more while waiting for an ambulance.

“We’re in the process of making sure that our department medical trainers are trained to the new level and then they will begin the training process, training the frontline members to go out and have those capabilities out on the street,” he said.

“That will be a phased in approach to get that done over the next couple of years.”

Data from KFR shows Kamloops firefighters have responded to 3,043 medical calls in the first six months of this year, compared to 1,948 during the same time period last year.

“What we are looking to do with moving to the emergency medical responder level is to give our staff the ability to do more when they are on scene having to wait for an ambulance so they can work with patients, but also give them some better skills that hopefully we can clear sooner when we identify that they aren’t life-threatening that we’ve been sent to,” Uzeloc told NL News in September.

Most Kamloops firefighters are expected to get this additional training – which Uzeloc notes will take them to a level of training somewhere between where they are trained to right now and to where paramedics are trained – so that there is adequate coverage across the city.

“Definitely we’re going to look at all firefighters and then we may need to having a number of the officers trained depending on the truck or apparatus that they are on to make sure that we always have that capability,” Uzeloc said.

“Because of some of the requirement of re-certification, we have to look at who is going to be positioned to be able to maintain that certification as well.”

In September, Uzeloc also told NL News that while there would be a cost involved to upgrade firefighter training, it would save money over the long term as Kamloops firefighters would only have to get re-certified every five years instead of every three years.

“There are other departments across the province that have done and are moving that direction just because of the changing face of the calls we are going to,” he said.

“Plus it gives us the ability that if we are going to [more medical] calls, then let’s make sure that the work we’re able to do is beneficial and worthwhile.”