
Review finds communication, staffing issues in ambulance response to fatal dog attack
CALGARY, AB – An independent review into why it took an ambulance 30 minutes to get to an 86-year-old Calgary woman who was attacked by three dogs says staff shortages and communication issues contributed to the delay.
It said the consolidation of Alberta’s emergency medical dispatch system did not slow the response, but the City of Calgary said communication would have been better had its 911 call takers and EMS dispatchers been in the same room.
Police and paramedics responded in June 2022 to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood and found the injured woman, Betty Ann Williams. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and later died.
“The fact is, Betty’s death was a tragedy,” said Dr. John Cowell, who was appointed as the official administrator of Alberta Health Services after the governing board was fired in October. “We are truly sorry.