British Columbia Ambulance Service - Organization

Organization

There are 187 ambulance stations in British Columbia, including three seasonal stations and the transfer fleet. Stations may be staffed with part-time paramedics, part-time and full-time paramedics, or only full-time paramedics, depending on where the station is located and the number of calls its crews are dispatched to. Each station is headed up by a Unit Chief, who acts as supervisor for the crew at the station. The Unit Chief also handles the day-to-day administrative duties required by the station, including payroll management, overseeing station and ambulance maintenance, and crew scheduling.

Each station falls under the responsibility of a District Superintendent. The District Superintendent has responsibility for the operations of all of the stations within a given district. The size of the district, and the number of stations it encompasses, varies depending on factors such as geography, station size and number of paramedics.

Each BCAS district is part of a larger region, which is headed by an Executive Director. Each District Superintendent is accountable to the Executive Director for that specific region. In some regions, a Director of Operations assists the Executive Director with day-to-day activities. The District Superintendents are accountable to the Executive Director of the region, who in turn reports to the Chief Operating Officer of the BC Ambulance Service.

The BCAS provincial headquarters is located in Victoria, BC. It is staffed by an executive management team, and other support services. The final responsibility for BCAS operations lies with the service's Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Operating Officer is accountable to the Executive Officer, Emergency & Health Services Commission, who in turn reports to the Board of the Emergency & Health Services Commission.