CHAT File Photo

By Regan Tate

Province announces plans to ease pressure on EMS

May 25, 2022 | 10:08 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The provincial government is releasing more information on plans to ease pressure on emergency medical services (EMS) across Alberta.

One hundred new EMS positions are being created and another 70 temporary positions are being extended. This will allow 19 new ambulances and five support vehicles to be rolled out.

Alberta Health Services is moving quickly to fill new EMS positions, primarily in the Calgary and Edmonton zones.

According to Darren Sandbeck, chief paramedic and senior provincial director for AHS, the new normal for EMS is a 30 percent increase in call volume

Twenty-four-seven ambulance coverage will be deployed in both Okotoks and Chestermere by the end of August.

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Health Minister Jason Copping says “our government is taking immediate steps to address this pressure by supporting AHS’ 10-point plan, which is already getting resources on the front lines.”

Additionally, to increase the efficiency of patient transporting, five non-emergency transport vehicles will be added on evenings and weekends – four in the Edmonton Zone and one in the Calgary Zone – by the end of June.

New EMS positions

• Forty new primary care paramedic positions, 20 each in both Calgary and Edmonton.
• Sixteen new emergency medical responders responsible for inter-facility transfers, eight each in Calgary and Edmonton.
• Two new advanced care paramedics and two new primary care paramedics specifically allotted for suburban-rural coverage in the Calgary Zone.
• Forty temporary rover positions – staff who may fill in at various stations in a zone – in Calgary and Edmonton. In addition, the north, central and south zones will each have 10 positions extended until March 2023. These positions, originally hired in 2021, have assisted in managing short-notice staffing challenges, including illness and fatigue.