On October 29, 2013, the BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) implemented changes to their BC Ambulance Service Resource Allocation Plan (RAP) resulting in a significant number of codes being downgraded to Code 2 (routine) calls instead of their previous designation as Code 3 (lights and sirens) calls. According to BCEHS the process undertaken to make the changes involved a thorough review of over 630,000 patient calls with a focus on call outcomes to ensure that only those calls that warranted a downgrading to routine based on an outcome analysis were in fact downgraded. BCEHS has asserted that the changes were made to optimize the use of resources in a manner that prioritizes the allocation of services based on the most pressing medical needs.
