FORT MCMURRAY (MyMcMurray) – Regional Fire Chief Jody Butz has written an open letter to residents as the province moves ahead with the consolidations of EMS dispatch services.
To all residents of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo:
As of January 19, 2021, a critical part of our local Emergency Service delivery will experience a fundamental change. Beginning today, if you need an ambulance, your call will be transferred out of our region to one of the three provincial dispatch centres (Peace River, Edmonton, Calgary.) Alberta Health Services has removed our ability to dispatch our own ambulances locally, and they will begin to dispatch our ambulances as part of their consolidation plan. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will no longer dictate the movement and response of our staff or ambulances.
The Regional Emergency Services Team is doing everything we can in this transition to continue our focus on positive patient outcomes and the safety of our ambulance staff. We continue our commitment to residents, to provide a high-level of care and professionalism and speedy response from the time we receive the information.
We are interested in hearing about our patients’ experiences under the AHS consolidated dispatch model. If you feel the Emergency Medical (Ambulance) Service you were provided did not meet your needs, I want to hear about it. I would also be interested to receive feedback on your experience with the provincial dispatch centre. Alberta Health Services has not given us any assurances that they will listen to our concerns, but we will continue to share these with them, whether they are meaningfully heard, or not.
As a resident of this Municipality you deserve a responsive and accountable EMS system that will meet the challenges across our region. Please share your experiences with me by contacting FireChief@rmwb.ca or Pulse at 780-743-7000 as we are monitoring the transition very closely.
Please continue to trust that the Regional Emergency Services team is doing everything we can to make the best out of a difficult situation. We have a proud history of resilience and solidarity when faced with situations we have limited, or no control over. I am confident that we can affect positive change in the interest in public safety, together.
Regards,
Jody Butz
Regional Fire Chief
