Confusion for paramedics: “People can't seem to hear us”

Greater Montreal's roads are congested and the work often causes many headaches for ambulance drivers, who have great difficulty responding effectively to the needs of their patients.

The behavior of some motorists who do not clear the way when an emergency vehicle is moving with flashing lights also complicates the lives of workers.

“With traffic, it's always a bit difficult. It makes people nervous. They always have to remember to go to the right,” says Jean-Marie Dufresne, an ambulance driver who has been in the profession for 28 years.

“Drivers don't always know what to do when an emergency vehicle pulls up behind them. It adds to the frustration,” he added.

His condition has been deteriorating for the past few years. Many of his colleagues speak of an additional source of stress when it comes time to help a distressed person.

“It's very difficult. People are not listening to us, or seeing us,” lamented ambulance driver Stéphane Dubois.

“We also don't want to do any accidents. We always say go right to go left,” explained her colleague Kyra Rowan.

Fortunately, ambulances have recently been granted permission to use dedicated lanes to reduce response times, which was previously impossible.

“It gave us more work. It forced us to “knit” in traffic. Now, with access to the reserved lanes, it's much easier,” said Jean-Marie Dufresne.

Watch the full explanation in the video above.