Mayor Jeff Genung is urging Cochrane and area residents to contact MLA Peter Guthrie and Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping so they may apply pressure on the province to fix ongoing issues with EMS ambulance delivery.
In a Feb. 16 Facebook video delivered from the Cochrane Fire Services building, which also houses the community's EMS units, Genung reminded viewers that the issue of health is not within the municipality's jurisdiction to regulate, but that there are steps that can be taken from a municipal level to spur change.
The video comes about a week after town council met with associate executive director with EMS operations Andy Bryksa on Feb. 7.
"We heard loud and clear from Mr. Randy Bryksa that we should be applying pressure to the province," said Genung. "So, I am asking you as residents of Cochrane to call your MLA, write an email to your MLA, write a letter to your MLA and/or deliver the same kind of correspondence to the Minister of Health.
"The system is broken, we need you to help us to ask the province to fix it."
Genung adds that the issue of EMS shortages and response times is not unique to Cochrane, it's province-wide.
"Specifically the surrounding communities outside of large urban centres, which we obviously are, are experiencing a drain of our resources into the urban centres," he said.
According to the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the union that represents healthcare professionals, Cochrane has been left on RED Alert twice in February, so far.
A RED Alert occurs when there are no ambulances in the area to respond to medical emergencies.
One of Cochrane's ambulances was also dropped from the schedule and shut down due to staffing shortages on Feb. 6.
One out of every 10 calls to 911 takes 20 minutes or more for EMS to arrive, said Genung, which he points out is not the fault of paramedics, who are being asked to do more with less.
The video ends with statistics noting the population of Cochrane in 2011 and 2021 — a difference of 14,619 new residents — with comparisons between the number of EMS units available for emergency response of which there is no change.
There are currently two advanced life support ambulances and one vehicle which covers basic life support.
"Over the last 10 years the whole region has experienced enormous growth, not just Cochrane." said Genung. "EMS has not grown with it to provide a service that is adequate for our residents and what we expect to receive."
While Cochrane's EMS Citizen Action Group continues its grassroots efforts to improve emergency response times and staffing shortages, a petition started by honourary group member Ali Morrison to keep Cochrane ambulances in Cochrane, has also been circulating.
The petition set a goal collecting 1,000 signatures and currently has 892 names behind it.
