Challenges for EMS: Dealing with non-emergency calls

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Well, it's EMS Week. A time that paramedics and EMTs are recognized for the critical care that they provide for our communities. Paul Drewes reports on some of the challenges these emergency workers face every day.

[00:00:14]EMS has been busier than ever. We take a ride along to see what calls emergency crews are responding to the most.

[00:00:28]On any typical day, two dozen ambulances and crews of paramedics and EMTs respond to emergencies across Oahu.

[00:00:35]>> The call volume is is very high and it's just getting higher.

[00:00:41]While EMS continues to respond to a high number of e-bike accidents, what else triggers emergency calls?

[00:00:50]In addition to all of our most serious calls like the shortness of breath, cardiac arrest, major traffic accidents, we are getting called for maybe some non-emergent things.

[00:01:01]Calls where people need medicine or have persistent pain. Calls that could be handled by a visit to their doctor or urgent care. The reason non-emergency calls are a problem for EMS is because they can delay crews from getting to urgent, life-threatening cases. Since we are taking care of someone at the moment. Um so that kind of, you know, of course backs up every all the units. So we have some people coming in from further away.

[00:01:28]Um and the wait times might be longer.

[00:01:30]So when should people call 911 for an ambulance?

[00:01:34]>> The cases of chest pain, shortness of breath, strokes, um of course cardiac arrest, and um uh major traffic accidents, traumas, um those kind of things.

[00:01:44]>> EMS personnel have been busy. The department has received new vehicles to replace aging ambulances, while also getting more personnel to fill vacancies. So paramedics and EMTs don't feel overworked. That is important in what is quite literally a life or death job.

[00:02:01]>> We are I guess exposed to death more than I guess the typical person is in any kind of way. Very traumatic deaths, very sudden, unexpected deaths.

[00:02:12]Rachel has been a paramedic for the past 6 years says it is the people who she works with that not only help patients, but also one another on a daily basis.

[00:02:22]The thing that kind of keeps us in check emotionally is that we have each other. We have a good peer support team. We reach out to each other.

[00:02:31]Paul Drews, Highland News.