In response to the growing demand for EMS services across Alberta, the government is launched provincial emergency medical services advisory committee to provide recommendations that will inform a new provincial EMS service plan. Meanwhile, Alberta Health Services (AHS) is immediately rolling out a 10-point plan to quickly add capacity to EMS. 

The plan includes five actions that are already underway including;  

  • Hiring more paramedics. 

  • Launching pilot projects to manage non-emergency inter-facility transfers. 

  • Initiating an ‘hours of work’ project to help ease staff fatigue. 

  • Transferring low-priority calls to other agencies in consultation with EMS physicians. 

  • Stopping the automatic dispatch of ambulances to motor vehicle collisions that don’t have injuries. 

Don Sharpe, a Registered Paramedic, has created citizen action groups across the province and has spoken loudly about the current ambulance shortages.  

When asked if the announcement of this group was enough to change the current ambulance shortages, he responded with, “No, I think they're focusing immediately on a lot of the wrong things with a lot of the wrong people.” 

“You need to do three things. You have to get paramedics out of the hallway and get them back to their communities. Number two, you have to stop flexing them all over Hell’s half-acre, wearing them and their vehicles out. Thirdly, they have to recognize the importance of citizen participation.”  

Back in August, Sharpe visited the Strathmore Legion to listen to stories from residents about their experience with ambulance wait times.   

Since then, Citizenship Action Groups have been formed to raise awareness, and capture the attention of Alberta Health Services.   

“I think they're focusing on a lot of the wrong things with a lot of the wrong people. I'm also surprised there's no frontline staff on the committee.” 

In Sharpe’s eyes, the answer to the ambulance shortage is to start a volunteer EMS corps, similar to how many rural communities have volunteer firefighters.  

“You know, when a mass casualty event in any size, whether it's a plane crash or a shooting, about half the patients that are critically injured, they go to the hospital in a private vehicle. Before the 1st ambulance arrived, citizens' participation, is effective.”  

Related Stories