Ambulance Crews in the Canary Islands Under Growing Pressure as Unions Warn of Burnout and Ageing Vehicles
Técnicos en Emergencias Sanitarias (TES) across the Canary Islands are facing increasing pressure at work, with their union warning of physical and emotional exhaustion, staff shortages and concerns over the condition of some ambulances.
USO-CANARIAS has raised concerns about what it describes as an increasingly difficult situation for Emergency Medical Technicians in the Canary Islands, pointing to heavy workloads, staff absences and an ageing ambulance fleet.
According to the union, some emergency medical technicians are experiencing such intense workloads that they can spend more than 14 hours working without being able to take a proper meal break. The union says the combination of sustained pressure and difficult working conditions is contributing to growing levels of physical and emotional fatigue.
Concerns over the condition of Canary Islands ambulances
One of the most striking claims made by USO-CANARIAS concerns the mileage of some ambulances operating across the islands.
The union says that certain vehicles have accumulated between 600,000 and 700,000 kilometres, while other vehicles are regularly unavailable because of mechanical problems, faults or maintenance issues.
USO-CANARIAS argues that this is not simply an employment issue for ambulance crews. It says the condition of the vehicles also needs to be considered in terms of the safety and reliability of the Canary Islands emergency medical service.
The concerns come against a wider backdrop of difficulties replacing older ambulances.
In August 2026, the Government of the Canary Islands changed the regulations governing the maximum age of ambulances. Under the exceptional arrangement, ambulances first registered in 2015 or later can continue operating beyond the normal ten-year limit, provided they meet the specified requirements. The exemption can allow qualifying vehicles to remain in service until 31 December 2027. The Government said the measure was necessary because of continuing difficulties obtaining replacement vehicles and the need to maintain an essential service.
Why this matters to people living in Lanzarote
For Lanzarote residents, the issue goes beyond employment conditions.
The island relies on a functioning network of ambulances and emergency medical professionals to transport patients between homes, health centres and hospitals and to respond to urgent incidents.
Lanzarote has also experienced its own concerns over ambulance availability and vehicle condition. Earlier this year, representatives of the Federation of Health Professionals and Technicians in Lanzarote warned that several ambulances had been out of service or operating with serious limitations. They also highlighted occasions when vehicles had reportedly been unable to exceed certain speeds because of mechanical problems.
The organisation said that keeping the service operating in those circumstances was placing additional pressure on the available workforce.
These issues are particularly important on an island where geography, road distances and the need to transport patients to appropriate medical facilities can all affect emergency response and patient transfers.
A problem affecting the whole Canary Islands
The latest warning from USO-CANARIAS is not presented as a problem affecting just one island.
The union says the pressure is being experienced across the Canary Islands ambulance service, with staff shortages and sickness absences adding to the workload of employees who remain available.
The organisation describes a cycle in which higher workloads contribute to exhaustion, while staff absences place additional demands on those still working.
The current situation is also linked to the long-running dispute surrounding the organisation and financing of the region’s ambulance transport service.
The public transport contract was originally awarded following the 2019 procurement process for four years, with provision for extensions. The current service has continued while the authorities work towards a replacement contract.
Ambulance workers have already taken industrial action
The concerns over working conditions have previously developed into industrial action.
In June 2026, CCOO, USO and CSIF called strikes involving ambulance workers across the Canary Islands over pay and working conditions. The dispute involved more than 2,000 workers and followed difficulties reaching agreement with employers over updated salaries and employment conditions.
The Canary Islands Government subsequently established minimum services for the strike because urgent and non-urgent patient transport is considered an essential public service.
Those minimum services included emergency ambulance requests, urgent transfers between healthcare facilities and certain essential scheduled journeys, including transport for patients receiving treatments such as dialysis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
What does this mean for tourists visiting Lanzarote?
For the millions of people who visit the Canary Islands, reliable emergency medical transport is something that is easy to take for granted until it is needed.
Tourists staying in Lanzarote have access to the same emergency response system as residents. The Canary Islands’ 112 emergency number operates 24 hours a day and can be used by residents and visitors requiring urgent assistance.
The regional emergency coordination centre can handle calls in several languages, including Spanish, English, German, French and Italian, making the system accessible to many international visitors.
If you are staying in Lanzarote and have a genuine medical emergency, call 112 rather than trying to arrange emergency transport yourself.
The role of Emergency Medical Technicians
The people at the centre of this debate are highly trained healthcare professionals.
The official Spanish qualification for Técnico en Emergencias Sanitarias is a two-year, 2,000-hour intermediate-level vocational qualification. Their professional role includes patient transport and initial healthcare and psychological assistance, as well as supporting emergency logistics and disaster response.
There is also a TES training programme available in Lanzarote at CIFP Zonzamas in Arrecife, demonstrating the importance of the profession within the island’s healthcare and emergency services infrastructure.
What happens next?
USO-CANARIAS is calling for urgent measures while the future public transport contract is resolved.
Among its demands are better maintenance of ambulances, replacement of vehicles that have reached the end of their useful operational life, sufficient resources to cover demand and improvements to equipment.
The union is also calling for greater attention to occupational health and the psychological pressures faced by Canary Islands emergency medical technicians.
The wider question is how quickly the new transport sanitario contract can deliver a more modern and adequately resourced system.
For Lanzarote residents and visitors, the issue is ultimately about more than contracts, vehicles or employment disputes. A dependable ambulance service is a fundamental part of public safety.
A service that residents and visitors depend on
Lanzarote is a popular tourist destination with a large resident population and thousands of visitors on the island at any given time.
Whether someone suffers an accident, becomes seriously ill or requires urgent hospital treatment, the expectation is the same: that a properly equipped ambulance and trained professionals will be available when they are needed.
The latest warnings from ambulance workers highlight the pressure involved in delivering that service.
While the most serious claims about vehicle mileage and working hours come from the trade union and should be treated as such, official measures introduced this year confirm that the Canary Islands are dealing with difficulties surrounding the replacement of older ambulances.
The challenge now is ensuring that the people responding to emergencies have the vehicles, equipment, staffing and working conditions necessary to keep providing a safe and reliable emergency medical service across Lanzarote and the rest of the Canary Islands.
