A Red Deer councillor hopes to see a sixth ambulance back on city streets as part of a one-year contract extension with Alberta Health Services.
Tara Veer said she’d like the return of Ambulance 6 as part of the city’s deal with the province.
“Even though we haven’t seen any compromises, I would hope we would be able to get (that additional ambulance),” Veer said in council chambers on Monday.
The city had been using nine ambulances for more than a year, but gradually moved to five as of last August to meet contractual obligations with Alberta Health Services. The reduction meant that after Red Deer’s five ambulances are used, an AHS ambulance from an outlying community responds. The city works with partners in advance of the sixth call, so the ambulance from outside town is in Red Deer already.
Emergency Services manager Jack MacDonald told council last week that service hasn’t been marred by the reduction of Red Deer Emergency Services ambulances.
Veer said the city has been providing more inter-facility transfers for the province, plus Emergency Services is first responder for a larger geographic region. That’s why a sixth one would be a good idea, she added.
“(This is) to make sure we can honour our commitment to our citizens to not compromise ambulance service,” said Veer.
Council approved on Monday a resolution to have the city negotiate another one-year term ending after April 1, 2012. Red Deer’s current contract ends in March.
Alberta Health Services recently announced it would extend the contracts of ambulance service providers willing to continue ambulance services through to March 31, 2012. The government plans to develop five-year contracts with potentially two two-year extensions beyond March 31, 2017. It aims at having all 2012-2017 ambulance contract negotiations finished by Sept. 30, 2011.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com