Where Is My Ambulance group voices concerns

The following are excerpts taken from a blog posted by wheresmyambulance.com, which state all the information provided was attained through Freedom of Information requests from Alberta Health Services or previously published media stories. The group’s stated mission is to provide citizens with statistics and information about their local ambulance services. Their blog posts are written by Don Sharpe and George Porter.

“Our blog post reveals alarming issues, including overuse of EMS for non-urgent transfers. These problems directly impact local residents and their access to timely emergency care,” observed a group representative who goes by the alias Ambulance-man. Here are some of the findings posted on November 28, 2024, specifically within the Southeast and Central areas, which includes the communities of Oyen and Hanna.

In a chart entitled full-time employees who transferred to casual positions, it was reported during the years from 2019-2023, thirty-one paramedics had transferred to casual employment. “Those losses translate into ambulance coverage that’s disappeared,” the article notes.

A chart displayed the number of instances when ambulance units were unavailable due to staffing vacancies. “These are the moments when paramedics, after enduring 12 to 14 gruelling hours, have no choice but to tap out - not because they want to, but because they have to. Fatigue doesn’t just pose a health risk - it’s a liability,” the article says. It continues to explain why this matters.

“So, if there’s an emergency and they’ve hit their limit, your local ambulance can’t answer the call - because they’ve been stretched thin handling non-urgent transfers.” Oyen was listed as having 52 instances of paramedics timing out due to fatigue and Hanna had 64 instances. The article states there was a total of 5,084 shutdowns in the past four years in the South Zone.

Another chart lists Unit Relocation Requests in the South Zone. From 2019-2024 Hanna had received 343 of these requests. The article goes on to say, “There are times when a transfer is necessary, a matter of life or death. But it’s the routine transfers, like those for follow-up appointments, that last five minutes, that grind the gears.”

The article says when you dive into the statistics, certain towns, including Hanna, are hit much harder than others. “Some of these rural communities don’t even have healthcare facilities big enough to justify the huge volume of transfers,” the post reports. “The real issue is AHS overloading these small communities’ limited EMS resources with transfers that don’t match their capacity.”

On a positive note, the blog observed some facilities in the South Zone have taken steps forward. In those areas, patients are assessed using a flowchart to determine if their situation requires an ambulance or if non-emergency options like alternate transport arrangements could suffice.

The blog noted when alternate transport isn’t found, the shortfalls often fall on the shoulders of departments in rural areas, which are staffed by volunteers. “When both ambulances and volunteers are unavailable, patients are left to languish for hours, waiting for a response that should have arrived in 15 minutes,” the blog observed.

For more information, you can read the post in its entirety at: www.wheresmyambulance.com/post/south-zone-leadership-if-they-don-t-see-the-problem-does-it-really-exist