A provincial Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatch call centre has opened in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, marking the return of local dispatch services to the northern Alberta area after several years of centralized service.
The call centre was brought online in Fort McMurray on Tuesday, as part of a new five-year agreement between the RMWB and Alberta Health Services for continued municipal delivery of ground ambulance services in the region.
“We are thankful to have our dedicated and capable dispatchers again providing this critical service,” regional fire chief Jody Butz said in a news release.
“In a region as large and unique as ours, local knowledge is key for quick and effective dispatch of emergency resources.”
In 2021, the RMWB and three other Alberta municipalities (Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge) had to turn over their regional dispatch of EMS to one of three provincial centres.
For years, the RMWB has been fighting for the return dispatch service to the local level. The municipality had raised concerns with the centralized service, including delays in dispatching emergency services and issues with verifying local addresses of the emergency.
The RMWB previously said removing local EMS dispatch hurt the health and safety of Albertans and impacted patient outcomes.
“Patient care is at the core of every decision we make,” said Murray Crawford, interim EMS senior provincial director with AHS. “This includes our approach to dispatching of EMS services across Alberta. Regardless of where the dispatch centre is located, AHS will collaborate with the municipality to ensure patients are provided seamless access to emergency medical care.”
Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Tany Yao called the decision to return EMS dispatch to the RMWB a logical one that will result in a more efficient emergency response.
The local EMS dispatch centre will also serve outlying residents, remote communities and industrial sites.
“Today is a great day and another step in the right direction for community resilience for the people that live and work here. We remain tremendously appreciative of the incredible work of our emergency responders across the region,” RMWB Mayor Sandy Bowman said in a statement.
RMWB staff will use AHS’s computer-aided dispatching technology and telecommunications equipment at the Fort McMurray facility. This will allow AHS to answer overflow 911 calls to the RMWB that they aren’t able to answer.
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