'Not getting any better': Coaldale, Alta. concerned over ambulance shortages
There have been nearly two dozen times when there weren't any ambulances to respond to 911 calls in the town of Coaldale this year and officials say that's unacceptable.
Administration released details of its quarterly report on emergency services this week and says its emergency services attended hundreds of calls so far this year.
"(The Coaldale & District Emergency Services [CDES]) has attended a total of 385 calls and is on track to surpass 500 by the end of 2021, making it another record-breaking year. Of these calls, 252 were responded to in Coaldale and 133 were in Lethbridge County," officials said in a release.
However, it added there were a number of times where there were no ambulance crews available to attend 911 calls, a situation that's classified as a 'code red.'
"To date, CDES has responded to 23 code red incidents to date and is on track to surpass code red incidents from previous years," officials said. "Fire Chief (Kevin) McKeown credits the strain on Alberta Health Services' EMS resources for the increase in code red incidents this year."
McKeown also said the province's plan to centralize dispatch has made the situation worse.
"EMS in the province is struggling to keep up and it's not getting any better," he said. "(It) has delayed response times for fire units being dispatched to medical events.
"One example of this was a medical call in August that took 13 minutes from the time AHS EMS dispatch received the call, to the time it was transferred back to Lethbridge dispatch and the fire department was notified. This is an unacceptable delay."
The report also indicated that volunteer firefighters with CDES logged approximately 3,200 hours of firefighting time, with the 1.5492968 building.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.