Thursday 30 March 2017

High Demand For EMTs And PCPs

High demand for EMTs and PCPs


In the past OFA3 and EMR personnel were the staple in first aid response. For low to medium risk work with less than 10 people, these personnel were deemed appropriate for the job at hand.


 EMT Paramedic


Over the past year we’ve seen an increase request for higher level of training across all job sites in Alberta and BC. EMTs and PCPs are becoming the new standard for medics that provide emergency services in remote locations.

Here at MTC Rentals we have received triple the requests for EMT gear in our rentals in Alberta alone. After speaking with our customers we have noticed a decent size shift in the level of care that is being requested from prime contractors that are bidding out work.


While this is great news for increasing standards across Canada, let’s look at some of the implications of this trend:


 the implications EMT

COSTS

There are two increased costs associated with changing from an EMR to EMT.

First we have wages; the difference in training is substantial. EMR, depending on where you take the course is typically a 3 week program with basic knowledge in life saving techniques. There are far more EMRs available on the market with this level of training and typically receive an honest wage.

When we look at EMT as the next level, the time commitment to a 1 year program is usually a very big decision in most people. The training increases to a Basic Life Support level and includes a number of life-saving drugs that require a deeper understanding of anatomy and philology. The EMT is now capable of providing a higher level of life saving techniques that, in turn, requires a higher level of pay.

Wages are usually subjective but can be easily argued that an EMT will receive higher earnings and its former EMR qualifications.


Second is the gear. EMT personnel use slightly more equipment and up to three times as many drugs that are consumed or expire on a regular basis. The increased amount of equipment and drugs create an increase of costs associated with having them on site, especially when these items are utilized in an emergency situation.

The overall costs associated with changing EMRs to EMTs, including wages and equipment, can be estimated at a 20-25% increase to its employer.

AVAILABLITY

There are fewer licensed EMTs than licensed EMRs in Alberta. This creates a high demand for EMT training and forces employers to compete with wages for good quality long lasting employees.

Finding EMTs and keeping them happy is going to be harder and harder as companies switch over to EMT level care.

QUALITY

Overall, the industries moving to EMT based services will receive better treatment and higher level of life saving techniques for all their workers. As job sites become more remote and new workers are introduced, the number of life threatening injuries will increase.

Canada has always been a leader in safety and response in the private sector and will continue to lead the ways as this trend continues.

 EMT MTC Rentals


CONCLUSION

We are excited to see these changes and understand there is a trend happening for more EMTs and PCPs to be hired in industry. We are happy to hear that companies are proactively increasing the level of care for their works but understand that there is a cost associated in doing so.


While certain jobs such as facilities, nursing stations and remote camps already require EMTs, Paramedics and Nurses, these high risk or permanent work sites are not included in this article. The biggest change comes from sites that previously used OFA3 and EMRs in order to comply with OH&S standards, such as pipeline construction, completions, seismic, and other categories that may be considered medium or low risk.

Please visit us at MTCRentals.ca for a quote on Emergency Vehicle Rentals.


By Dion Siluch

Wednesday 1 March 2017

Record Breaking Month

Record Breaking Month

February was a very interesting month when it comes to equipment rentals. This has been the busiest month for Confirmed Rentals the past 24 months.

Below is a graph of the past 24 months for Mobile Treatment Centre “Inquiries” and “Confirmed” rentals.
“Inquiries” are defined as leads or prospects for rentals.
“Confirmed” are defined as the actual rental or credit card deposit from a customer.
 2 Year high MTC Rentals


As you can see the majority of the previous 24 months regularly has higher inquiries than confirmed rentals.

This is typical and gives a good insight into what the rental market may be doing.


In February, however, we saw the first month that “Confirmed” rentals greatly outweighed “Inquiries” in the overall market demand within a 30 day period. This is the busiest month for our rentals we’ve seen since the drop in oil prices in 2014.


What does this mean?

Since 80% of our revenue comes from Oil and Gas projects in Western Canada, this could be an early indication of another uprising of the demand in this sector.

Some would say the increase comes from the higher standard of safety for companies that may or may not use MTCs or Ambulances on their projects. The higher demand comes from higher standards for emergency response.

However, as shown in the chart below, the number of COR certified safety programs implemented in the western provinces reached it’s peak in 2010 and have stayed relatively steady for the past 7 years.


 COR Programs Industry Safety MTC Rentals 1024x767


Whether the jump in the rental demand has increased from recovering oil prices or the simple fact that Canadian OH&S standards have systematically improved over the past 2 decades, we are seeing a large amount of new projects being funded in Western Canada.

Many small businesses are scrambling to find reliable equipment and good workers for the sudden increase of demand. At MTC Rentals we are dedicated to maintain our quality of equipment and supply life-saving transportation vehicles to industrial projects.



If you have any questions or inquiries about our rentals, please call 780 652-1204.

Dion Siluch