Firefighters association speaks out on consolidating ambulance dispatching
Posted Aug 6, 2020 12:56 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The Alberta Firefighters Association is joining the ranks opposed to the province’s consolidation of EMS dispatch services.
Earlier this week, Alberta Health Services announced it would consolidate all ambulance dispatch services in the province to three locations.
RELATED: AHS to take control of ambulance dispatching
AHS said this was in line with a cost-saving recommendation from a recent audit of the agency.
While AHS and the Alberta government say it will save money and improve patient care, others are sceptical.
On Wednesday, the mayors of Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Fort McMurray spoke out against the changes saying it will actually put more lives at risk.
The Province decided EMS dispatch would be consolidated under AHS, adding a dangerous step to those needing emergency care.
On July 23, Mayors Veer, Scott, Spearman and I signed this letter to @shandro.
This will not save any money. It will cost lives.https://t.co/jvKRdTbEOF pic.twitter.com/Kuq4dmETv4
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) August 5, 2020
“This is a terrible idea. It was done without consultation; it was done without discussion,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Brad Readman with the firefighters association echoes those claims and believes the UCP is making this move to eventually privatize ambulance service.
“(It) is a huge concern for us. We’ve spoke against that for a long time and I just think they’re looking purely to save some money. I don’t see those cost savings occurring.”
Readman added the biggest concern is the safety of patients and firefighters saying previous attempts to consolidate or remove dispatch centres caused more delays in response time.
He pointed to examples of when firefighters are able to help but don’t get the call in time.
“Fire stations are around the corner and they’re getting a delayed response to a cardiac arrest because there is no ambulances in the area. That’s an issue and we see that on a consistent basis.”
On Wednesday, Nenshi and his mayoral counterparts sent a letter to Health Minister Tyler Shandro urging him to reconsider the consolidation plans.
Readman said the firefighters association are also lobbying Shandro to change the plan but worries it will be a done deal before anyone has a chance to share their concerns.
