Dispatch decision is history repeating itself
By Letter to the Editor on August 20, 2020.
Re: AHS dispatch decision.
Here we go again. It must be history repeating itself. Would someone inform the head of AHS that this was proposed a number of years ago and saner heads prevailed. Why? It was proven that our situation here in Lethbridge is different than most other places in Alberta.
All of our fire personnel are EMS or paramedic-trained so, if an ambulance is not available, a fire truck is dispatched and my understanding is the trucks are well equipped. Would this be the case if every time an ambulance is not available?
Another problem that was put forth was the weather down in the south is different than what it is in Calgary. Our dispatch office understands this and acts accordingly.
Question: Is this a case of empire building by someone in AHS?
This was brought about by the bean counters hired by our UCP – the UCP who are only concerned about money, money, not people or communities. Just look at what they are doing to our doctors. Bean counters who are inhuman when they are doing their job are there to find where money can be saved and people and communities be damned.
Question: Is our MLA on the east side of Lethbridge going to fight this or is he going to go with the flow? He should remember this argument as he is a longtime resident of our fair city.
Remember, money does not vote, people do.
Richard Gaff
Lethbridge
12-11
“All of our fire personnel are EMS or paramedic-trained so, if an ambulance is not available, a fire truck is dispatched and my understanding is the trucks are well equipped. Would this be the case if every time an ambulance is not available?”
Unless local dispatch has been given a directive to not dispatch fire or police until the hear from the attending EMS
there has been no information to believe anything otherwise would occur.
The difference that has been put out there is that an ambulance would attend a location and then request fire or police. That is my understanding. Surely, once past all the rhetoric and UCP hating local dispatch will still dispatch fire and police to locations where the regional ambulance may not be available for a period of time. As you have stated fire is cross trained.
With regard to this dispatch decision saving money, perhaps we have seen nothing yet once Finance Minister Travis Toews, “gives his first fiscal update on August 27th.”
Today’s blog at http://www.albertapolitics.ca describes what may be more cut, cut, cuts……..