SACPA to discuss rural ambulance service

In Alberta, ambulance service is supposed to be a “borderless system” designed to respond as needed. City-based ambulances are supposed to respond to rural calls when required — and vice versa.

But a long-active emergency medical responder says it’s mostly a one-way street. Rural patients are not getting the service they need, says George Porter.

He’ll tell participants at today’s session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs how he’s lobbied for nine years for adequate service outside the province’s larger cities.

One of the biggest problems, he says, is Alberta Health Services’ use of ambulances for routine inter-facility transfers, when other vehicles could be used. Then, when there’s an emergency, there may be no ambulance readily available.

And AHS procedures also result in ambulances and crews spending an excessive amount of time clearing their patient at a hospital, he adds.

Issues like those put many Albertans — especially in rural areas — at risk, he says.

Porter began his emergency response career in Calgary, and has since worked in rural as well as urban settings. He’s worked in industrial, remote and air ambulance settings, and has also owned and operated EMS services.

His presentation, open to all interested, is set for noon at the Royal Canadian Legion, with a question period to follow. The cost is $14 for a buffet lunch, or $2 for a hot beverage. Follow DMabell@Herald on Twitter