Okotoks, Chestermere get boost to EMS services

A stock photo of an Alberta ambulance. (Getty Images)

Okotoks and Chestermere now have local, 24-hour ambulance coverage, as well as eight extra pairs of life-saving hands on deck.

Alberta Health Services announced Thursday that Okotoks, south of Calgary, and Chestermere, east of Calgary, have each had four additional paramedics working since Aug. 15.

Previously, ambulances from nearby communities were responding to calls out of Okotoks and Chestermere beyond set coverage hours.

Health Minister Jason Copping called it another step in responding to an "unprecedented increase in demand on EMS."

"They’ll help improve services in Okotoks and Chestermere, as well as the communities and rural areas around them," Copping said in a release.

"We’ll keep adding capacity to the system and working to bring response times back down within AHS’s targets, where they were until volumes surged last summer."

This move is part of an "EMS 10-point plan" to create health care system capacity.

Darren Sandbeck, chief paramedic and senior provincial director, said AHS is steadfast in reaching its goal.

"We continue to manage a sustained increase in call volume of about 30 per cent above pre-pandemic call volume that is keeping EMS crews busy," Sandbeck said in Thursday's release.

"I want to thank our paramedics and staff profoundly for their continued service and dedication to patients."