Emergency 911 Dispatch
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association request the Province of Alberta to halt the transition of Ambulance Dispatch Centres and that the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association undertake a joint review with Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) to ensure that First Responders, Ambulance and Fire remain as one unified, efficient, dispatch to enhance communications while responding to emergencies in Alberta.
WHEREAS urban and rural communities throughout Alberta have experienced significant changes since the implementation of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) amalgamation of health services;
WHEREAS the most serious fragmentation occurred around rural and smaller urban community emergency response; and
WHEREAS rural and urban communities have documented concerns concerning emergency services and response and have presented these issues to the Minister of Alberta Health and Wellness and to Alberta Health Services.
Jan 25, 2012 - Alberta Health and Wellness
With respect to your resolution concerning the transition of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Dispatch Centres in Alberta, EMS dispatch consolidations were temporarily put on hold in March of 2010, to allow a review of the consolidations completed. The review confirmed that the consolidation of Alberta's EMS dispatch Centres supports a patient-centered approach which lays the foundation for significant future enhancements and that ultimately this consolidation will improve access to health services for Albertans.
Although the consolidation of EMS dispatch centres remains on hold, AHS has continued with consolidation of a number of EMS dispatch centres at the request of the provider and the support of the municipality. Given the success of these recent consolidations and the patient-centred focus of this transition, I support the policy of the consolidation of all EMS dispatch centres into three centres as this transition is an important pillar in aligning EMS with Alberta's health system.
AHS will continue to move towards three provincial centres however, at this time, they will continue to do so only at the request of a current provider and with support of the municipalities. This will help ensure that all Albertans receive equitable access to timely and appropriate care across the province.
Aug 2014 - Health
The consolidated dispatch model provides for the closest ambulance to be dispatched, coordination of all EMS activities, emergency, medevac and interfacility transfers to use resources effectively so emergency resources are available and seamless backup in the event of problem or outage affecting a dispatch centre. As well it provides for a single set of EMS data for consistent reporting and quality assurance. In order for the satellite centres to be part of the consolidated dispatch and be able to see and dispatch all EMS resources they will all use the same EMS dispatch system which AHS will provide. AHS is currently working with Lethbridge, Peace River, Wood Buffalo and Red Deer to complete the EMS dispatch consolidation and new contracts are being put in place so that the EMS dispatch service provided in these centres is not subsidizing other work that they may be doing. In areas where EMS dispatch has been consolidated processes are set up to enable notification of fire department response at the same time as dispatching the ambulance. AHS will use the AFRRCS for EMS which will further enhance interoperability
AUMA accepts this response.