(rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Troy Gillard

Letters sent to premier

Red Deer formally offers to pay to keep EMS dispatch local

Dec 16, 2020 | 9:52 AM

The City of Red Deer, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the City of Lethbridge have each formally offered the provincial government to pay to keep EMS dispatch local in their respective communities.

The municipalities each receive funding annually from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to operate local ambulance dispatch through integrated municipal dispatch centres. By offering to pay for the services, municipalities would retain current emergency ambulance dispatch services at no cost to the Province.

The province’s decision to consolidate ambulance dispatch is planned to take effect on January 12, 2021 despite repeated requests by the municipalities to reverse this decision. Officials say that at this time, there has been no official response from Premier Jason Kenney on the offers to pay, or the formal request for him to overturn AHS.

“The decision by the provincial government to consolidate ambulance dispatch will, without a doubt, mean the degradation of emergency patient care for citizens in Red Deer and Central Alberta,” implored Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer.

“We know there are people alive today in Red Deer because FireMedics responded before an ambulance in a life and death emergency medical call. The City of Red Deer is prepared to fund ambulance dispatch locally in an effort to protect the health and safety of Red Deerians and Central Albertans in emergency circumstances. The Provincial Government’s decision to remove this local service is driven by supposed cost savings, so we are prepared to pay for the service in the interest of public safety.”

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The City of Calgary continues to advocate along with the municipalities of Red Deer, Lethbridge, and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

All four mayors say they remain resolute in their position that the Province should continue to operate the four satellite dispatch centres.

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