Paramedics responding to a medical emergency in West Vancouver were trapped in an elevator with a seriously ill patient for nearly half an hour — which a safety investigation says highlights the risks of aging equipment and the importance of elevator maintenance.

It happened last summer in an 18-storey residential tower built nearly six decades ago, which had been operating with one working elevator for nearly two years. The second elevator was out of service for upgrades but work was delayed, according to a report released last week by Technical Safety B.C.

Three B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedics responded to a 911 call on July 21, 2025, on the building’s 14th floor. The paramedics used the working elevator to reach the patient.

The patient was on a stretcher and the door kept trying to close as it was loaded into the elevator. On the fourth time the doors closed, paramedics pushed against the top of the car door to keep it from shutting. Investigators say their force and mechanical problems with the door caused it to derail from its track, trapping the medics and patient inside once a paramedic manually forced the door shut.

As the elevator headed down to the lobby, it stopped briefly on several floors, making “scraping noises,” but the doors wouldn’t open. When the elevator reached the main floor and the doors would not open, the paramedics called 911 using the elevator’s emergency intercom.

“One member used their personal phone to contact dispatch and update the hospital about the situation and delay,” the report stated. After 25 minutes trapped inside, firefighters used hydraulic tools to force the elevator doors open. No further details on the patient’s condition were released.

Investigators also said relying on just one elevator while the second elevator’s upgrades were delayed probably affected decisions about maintenance and repairs to keep the one elevator running.

The report said Canadian regulations require elevators to have maintenance to ensure they remain safe, including regular inspections, tests, cleaning, lubrication and adjustments.

The elevator had routine maintenance that was signed off in April 2025. Monthly visits were also logged in February and March. But in the two months before the incident, it broke down six times, each time needing a technician for repairs.

An elevator mechanic told investigators the adjustable rollers that keep the doors on track couldn’t be tightened any further to stop jams. The next maintenance visit wasn’t scheduled until July 2025.