AHS introduces new ambulances to Calgary, Edmonton area fleets
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced on Sept. 27 the addition of 10 new ambulances to its fleet in service for patients in Calgary and Edmonton.
The new vehicles, five designated for Calgary, and five for Edmonton, are intended to help relieve pressure on EMS and improve access to emergency patient care.
These 10 are in addition to nine new vehicles added to the fleet in June, funded via $16 million designated by the Government of Alberta in the most recent budget.
James Wood, who spoke on behalf of AHS, said the additional ambulances in the metro centres will have a ripple effect on surrounding communities, including within Strathmore in the Calgary region.
“More ambulances in Calgary and Edmonton to respond to events reduces the use of ambulances from surrounding communities handling calls in those cities,” said Wood. “Ambulances stationed in Calgary and Edmonton are able to manage their own events with greater frequency.”
There will still be some occasions where demand in Calgary will outstrip available capacity, in which case, resources from outside the city may still be required to manage events in times of greater call volumes.
When asked about how the expansion of ambulatory services in Calgary would affect Strathmore and Wheatland County in regard to maintaining their fleet more locally, the Strathmore and District Ambulance Society declined to comment at the time they were contacted, suggesting instead to be in touch with AHS directly.
The existing Metro Response Plan, Wood assured, allows for the borrowed units to be returned to serving their home communities as quickly as possible.
According to Wood, since the introduction of the Metro Response Plan in February, the number of suburban responses into Calgary has dropped by approximately 50 per cent across the Calgary Zone.
“The elements of the Metro Response Plan began rollout Feb. 7, 2022, and since then there have been significant and noticeable improvements in keeping suburban ambulances in their home communities,” said Wood. “The Metro Response Plan is one element of the EMS 10-Point Plan to help create capacity in the healthcare system.”
To staff the new ambulances, AHS has reportedly hired 40 new Primary Care Paramedics – 20 for Calgary, and 20 for Edmonton, augmenting the 40 positions created and filled in the spring.
According to the release, EMS has been experiencing a sustained increase in 911 call volumes of up to 30 per cent above pre-pandemic levels and call volumes have increased nearly 60 per cent since 2010.
“We are delivering on the commitment to fund new ambulances for service as quickly as possible. These new ambulances will help create additional capacity in the system, which is much needed,” said Jason Copping, Minister of Health.
More information regarding the AHS EMS 10 Point Plan, as well as other initiatives by AHS to improve and sustain emergency medical services is available through the AHS website.