Alberta mayors, firefighters speak out against 911 EMS consolidation

The mayors of the four impacted communities, as well as the Alberta Firefighters Association, have spoken out against this change.

Chris Spearman, Mayor of Lethbridge

Spearman says he and the other mayors were “blindsided” by the fact that they were notified out of the blue by a non-elected official of AHS that they were changing ambulance services.

He believes the change will jeopardize ambulance services and timely responses for patients in Lethbridge and Southern Alberta.

“In Lethbridge, our integrated fire and EMS system saves money and serves patients with the earliest possible response.”

Lethbridge’s mayor says the $6-million in projected savings does not take into account the additional costs that will be incurred by municipalities.

For Lethbridge, the city could be out as much as $2.89-million.

“That’s what we think we’re subsidizing Alberta Health by first responses, so that’s the cost of fire services substituting for ambulance services in that case. That cost would ultimately be born somewhere else.”

“Because they’re dually-trained as firefighters and paramedics, of course, they’re versatile and we think that the taxpayer gets the best bang for the dollar.”

Tara Veer, Mayor of Red Deer

“This issue is about people and not politics because in the chain of survival, seconds matter.”

Veer says AHS’ EMS dispatch, the average response time was about 20 seconds longer than Red Deer’s own municipally-run system, which falls below the province’s own standards.

Her bigger issue, however, is that she claims none of the mayors were consulted on the change prior to it happening.

On three occasions between February and July 2020, the four mayors asked for meetings with Health Minister Tyler Shandro to discuss the then-proposed consolidation.

They were eventually granted a brief discussion with Shandro on July 15. He reportedly told the mayors that he would set up a meeting with head AHS officials.

The meeting with AHS was rescheduled from July 27 to August 4, and once August 4 came, it was rescheduled again. The announcement of the consolidation was made that morning.

Veer said Shandro has agreed to meet with the mayors in the near future. She made the following ask to him and Premier Jason Kenney.

“Former ministers have overturned AHS’ intentions on this file before in the interest of patient outcomes in life and death situations and we respectfully request that the premier and the minister of health will review this AHS decision.”

Don Scott, Mayor of Wood Buffalo

Scott’s comments immediately followed Veer’s and says, as he heard her run through the timeline of events, everyone in his office was shaking their heads in frustration.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo includes Fort McMurray and several surrounding areas.

“My region has a service delivery area the size of Nova Scotia. We often describe our location by landmarks and markers. There is absolutely no doubt that the AHS model will cause delays.”

“No one knows the region like our own people.”

Scott says their processes allow them to dispatch units in about half the time as AHS’ system does.

He adds that the province will not see the kinds of savings it hopes for.

“Our region will lose at least four staff with that local knowledge if the AHS decision proceeds. The savings AHS will achieve for our region is estimated at $660,000. AHS will then turn around and hire 25 staff in another region. The AHS savings, in my view, will not be achieved.”

When Scott was an MLA, he says he “immediately recognized the ineffectiveness of the AHS proposal and the risk to patients outweighed any theoretical savings.”

Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary

Nenshi says he is tired of trying to prevent this from happening. Alberta Health has tried to consolidate the municipal EMS dispatch sites in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2016.

“In the system we have now, it allows you to get the assistance you need quickly and efficiently. The system that is being proposed requires you to tell your story again and again and maybe again. It means that it’ll take longer for you to get help and it won’t save any money.”

In Calgary, the mayor explains that they typically have 25,000 emergency medical calls per year. In about half of those cases, firefighters get there before paramedics so they are trained to provide “life-saving treatment” as well.

“I was surprised to hear the chief paramedic say yesterday that anyone who tells you the response times are going up is not telling the truth or that the experience that someone who calls 911 will be the same. Both of those things are false. They’re completely wrong. They are lies.”

45 operators of Calgary’s 911 EMS system will be laid off. In their place will be 25 new people provincially.

“The estimate that the City of Calgary has done is that the net savings to Alberta Health Services through this is a million dollars. That’s a million dollars now that we’re subsidizing Alberta Health Services under our current contract.”

“There’s no money to be saved, it’s worse service, and it puts peoples’ lives at risk. This is a terrible idea and it was done without consultation.”

Brad Readman, President of Alberta Fire Fighters Association

It is not just the politicians who are up in arms about 911 EMS consolidation.

Readman called it a short-sighted decision that will result in negative patient outcomes.

“We know about first response and what is required to carry out effective cost-efficient Emergency Medical Care and this does not do that. We have heard many times over the years dating back to 2005 a promise of a more efficient, cost-effective EMS system and that has yet to transpire.”

He believes the new system will not be more efficient and will result in it taking more time for first responders to arrive on scene.

“These reckless decisions that are being made without consultation from the front line first responders that they affect need to stop! I truly worry about not only the safety of our front line EMS providers but the citizens that they are serving.”

Readman is calling for consultations with Alberta Health and the Government of Alberta before the transition can take place.

by David Opinko

Alberta mayors, firefighters speak out against 911 EMS consolidation

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