Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) crew members are starting to limit the types of calls they respond to.
In the first quarter of 2026, Firehall No 2 — which is located in the Downtown Eastside — responded to nearly 6,000 apparatus runs, representing a 51 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025.
More than half of those calls were medical in nature, which the VFRS says places a strain on firefighter capacity.”
“We’ve seen a gradual increase [in the] number of calls, especially in our Downtown Eastside Firehall No 2, unprecedented growth in responses, and we need to do something,” Fire Chief Karen Fry said.
“We’ve seen a gradual increased number of calls, especially in our Downtown Eastside Firehall No 2, unprecedented growth in responses, and we need to do something,” she said.
Fry says crews will no longer respond to Code Orange calls.
“It’s a lower acuity, overdose type of call that’s not necessarily life-threatening.”
Dispatchers determine the “code level” of each call. Fry says Code Orange calls make up about one call a day, but next month, crews will also stop responding to Code Red Basic Life Support — or BLS– calls.
“When we make those changes, we expect to see probably about 19 calls a day that we are not responding to,” said Fry.
Ian Tait with Ambulance Paramedics of BC says paramedics are understanding of the changes.
“The fire service was never intended to be a major player in the medical response area,” Tait said
“Ninety per cent of the medical calls that fire departments go to, they do not interact in any type of meaningful, medical way.”
But harm reduction advocates such as Guy Felicella say any extra help for someone in crisis can be life-changing.
“I know it goes a long way when I call and they show up,” Felicella said.
“It’s really helpful, because you’re dealing with human life.”
He says if fire crews are able to attend, they should.
“Sure, if you’re at another emergency event, I know you’re not going to respond,” he said.
“But if a call comes in, and let’s say you’re free, you should attend those calls, because oftentimes, front-line workers are the first ones there to respond.”
Fire crews will still respond to Code Orange and Code Red calls if paramedics are delayed and unable to reach the scene within six minutes.
But Tait says that may limit the impact of the changes.
“We are not meeting a six-minute response time on a consistent basis, just because of call volume,” he said.
“At the end of the day, what we really need is more ambulances to fill those gaps.”
Fry clarified that firefighters will continue to respond to Code Purple calls.
“We will continue to respond to things like cardiac arrests, situations where people aren’t breathing, in order to provide those life-saving interventions,” she said.