The move to consolidate Red Deer's integrated EMS dispatch took effect on Tuesday. (rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Troy Gillard

Service degradation inevitable, mayor says

Red Deer to continue fighting for EMS dispatch despite switch taking effect

Jan 13, 2021 | 10:49 AM

Mayor Tara Veer says the City of Red Deer will continue to fight for local integrated EMS dispatch even after the province’s move to consolidate it has now taken effect.

As of Tuesday, municipally operated EMS dispatch centres in Red Deer, Lethbridge, Calgary and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo were consolidated with four provincially-run centres. This came despite an impassioned fight by the four municipalities for the provincial government to halt the move by Alberta Health Services to consolidate as it had done four times previously.

Veer says the province’s reasons for consolidation still don’t add up.

“They said it’s for patient outcomes, but we’ve received some mixed messages because other members have said it’s about cost savings and the provincial deficit. So we’ve taken the financial issue off the table for them and they haven’t responded to our offer yet,” Veer said during an interview Tuesday with BIG 105.

“On the patient outcomes front, we have proven to them that in Red Deer alone the fire truck responds first on scene 40 per cent of the time. So it can’t be in the interest of patient outcomes because we’ve proven to them that without the medical first response on the fire unit that that’s degradation in service.”

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Veer says the greatest impact on local residents, one she is gravely concerned about, is the effect dispatch consolidation will have on the city’s already strained ambulances, which she noted can often be 15 to 25 minutes away from responding to a call for help.

“On (Monday) if someone called 911 and an ambulance wasn’t available, which is often the case in Red Deer because of capacity issues at the hospital, or the fact that an ambulance might be transferring a patient or responding to another call in the community, because we shared dispatch we would have been able to send advance life support (fire medics) to a call so that while we’re waiting for an ambulance we can at least begin administering lifesaving care to patients,” she explained.

“Because we no longer have access to integrated dispatch, our fire medics no longer know about those calls that come into the ambulance. Because AHS flipped the switch, now we no longer have access to the ambulance dispatch. We are now no longer able to send a fire medic truck, even though it might only be four or five minutes away from an accident scene or any other type of call that comes in to 911. We’re not able to send them immediately unless Alberta Health Services chooses to bounce the call back, which we’re not confident they’ll always do.”

Veer says the approach to dispatch that makes the most sense is to keep it regional.

“You get (the benefits) that come with having centres of excellence in regional hub communities. But you also get that local knowledge and that geographical knowledge that come with having dispatchers that live in and are familiar with our community that can proactively monitor where ambulances and fire trucks are.”

Veer encourages residents concerned over the loss of local ambulance dispatch to write the premier’s office.

“We’re going to keep fighting on this issue in the health and safety interests of the citizens we’re so privileged to serve.”

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