Fire department ambulance assist concerns

The Town of Barrhead is hoping the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) and the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) will help them and other municipalities recoup some of the costs incurred when their respective fire departments are called upon to assist ambulance crews.

Councillors unanimously instructed administration to write a letter to both the AUMA and AAMDC to get an update on resolutions the town made two years ago regarding the issue.

Coun. Don Smith said the town and county’s joint fire services committee were especially concerned about how often the fire department is called upon to assist Alberta Health Services (AHS) contracted ambulances loading patients.

“We know our fire department was exceptionally busy in 2016, responding to a record number of calls and it probably won’t be any different this year,” he said. “It is just too taxing for our volunteer firefighters to go out and do the jobs of the ambulance service, especially without remuneration from the province.”

Coun. Leslie Penny agreed it was also a concern, but said she failed to see how getting extra money from the province would help lower the firefighters’ workload.

She then asked for clarification on how firefighters were dispatched.

When a person dials 911, the dispatcher first asks what service they need, police, ambulance or fire, and then they are transferred to the appropriate branch.

“After that, unless extrication is involved the only time fire services would be called is when Alberta Health Services gets a request from one of its ambulance members that they need assistance from the fire department,” Ty Assaf said, adding AHS also asks for the fire department assistance when an ambulance is not available or is too far away as a number of its members are certified EMTs.

Another reason why the fire department is called upon is because ambulance drivers need assistance in physically lifting a patient.

It is estimated that providing these services in 2016 cost the town and county about $22,000 each.

“Be quite clear that our members [fire department] will continue to do that job and both municipalities will continue to shoulder the costs. Not that we are happy about having to do it, but we aren’t going to leave anyone in any municipality in a lurch because it’s not their responsibility,” Smith said. “We just feel this is downloading from the province and we just want some answers.”