According to a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) request that was submitted by a resident and obtained by the Airdrie City View, Airdrie experienced at least 206 EMS unit truck shutdowns from 2019 to 2021.
The FOIP'd data outline the dates and times of 1,306 ambulance shutdowns that were recorded in Alberta Health Services' (AHS) Calgary Zone during that three-year time frame.
The information in the documents does not include when ambulances were downgraded from Advanced Life Support to Basic Life Support, according to the source who provided the documents to the City View.
Don Sharpe, a retired Alberta paramedic with over 40 years of experience in the sector, said a truck shutdown occurs when an ambulance unit is taken out of service, usually due to a lack of staff available to operate it for that shift.
“Trucks are shut down all the time due to no staff,” he said. “AHS, EMS in the Calgary Zone have so many paramedics off right now.”
In Airdrie, the data show the number of ambulance shutdowns increased over the last three years. The city experienced 27 truck shutdowns in 2019; 57 shutdowns in 2020; and 122 shutdowns in 2021.
The months with the most shutdowns were in August and September 2021, when 27 and 19 shutdowns occurred, respectively.
From 2019 to present day, according to the source who submitted the FOIP request, Airdrie had 3.5 ambulance units. (The 0.5 ambulance unit means a truck is staffed for 12 hours a day, while the other three are intended to be staffed 24 hours a day). However, the Alberta government announced another ambulance unit would be coming to Airdrie in the future in a March 10 statement that committed $64 million from the province to enhance EMS and ambulance services.
Sharpe called the March 10 funding commitment too little, too late.
“Right now, they’re not dealing with the problems that are endemic to EMS,” he said.
“You cannot just buy trucks overnight and you cannot train staff overnight. All of these things they’re talking about are down the road.”
He said there are tangible things that AHS could do immediately to improve the EMS situation in Alberta, such as start moving non-emergent patients using contracted providers.
“Hospitals too often have to call AHS to transport these non-emergent patients … if they were allowed and encouraged to call one of the contractors … it would leave the emergency ambulances alone and available in their communities to do the emergency calls,” he said.
AHS response
In response to a request for comment, AHS stated that while there was an increase in truck shutdowns in 2021, the number of shifts where this occurred was below five per cent.
“Truck shutdowns occur only as a last resort,” the statement read, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a main contributor to the increase, as it has caused a flurry of staff illnesses, fatigue, and the need to self-isolate.
“Other parts of the health-care system, as well as those in other provinces and countries, report similar staffing issues,” the statement read.
“Additionally, EMS continues to see an increase in emergency calls of up to 30 per cent in some areas of the province due to several combined factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid concerns, and emergency calls related to people returning to regular levels of activity.”
The AHS statement went on to say if there is a need to help with staffing, EMS may deploy supervisors or delay some non-urgent transfers. They said if a paramedic is ill, managers attempt to find another paramedic to fill in for that shift. If the shift cannot be filled, EMS covers the area with ambulances from adjacent communities.
“EMS is also working closely with hospital teams to ensure timely flow through our emergency departments,” the statement read. “New initiatives such as the ability to take patients to alternate transport destinations, such as urgent care centres, are helping create capacity in the system by ensuring paramedic crews spend less time waiting in hospitals.”
The statement also claimed Airdrie EMS response times have seen improvements in 2022, and "there has been a reduction in instances of Airdrie ambulances coming into the city of Calgary.”
“In the last year, provincially, EMS has brought on additional staff and ambulances and has created and filled 30 full time and 70 temporary part time paramedic positions across the province,” it read. “Airdrie specifically has seen 13 paramedic positions filled in 2021 and five in 2022 to date.”
–With files from Cochrane Eagle
