The community of Lethbridge has improved its ability to deal with medical emergencies.
Three new ambulances and 16 more personnel have been added to the emergency response system. While the city’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief feels it’s a step in the right direction, both he and the city council agree that more needs to be done to make sure that services will always be available when they are required.
To help ensure that this is the case, a five-year agreement has been signed with Alberta Health Services. This will allow for greater cooperation between the city and the province.
Last year, there were 500 ‘code red’ situations, which occur when there are no Lethbridge ambulances available to respond to emergency calls. Fortunately, crews have been cross trained to provide this care.
With the upgrades, there will be five ambulances available at any time, with eight ready during the worst emergencies. They can also be called in from surrounding communities if the need arises.
A plan for the future is to purchase some new patient transfer vehicles, which will be used to transfer patients during non-emergency situations.
The total cost for the improvements will be $6.6 million, with at least $2.2 million of that being recuperated through user fees.
Upgrades to the emergency response system can make a big difference in a crisis situation. Brochure printers can create promotional materials to keep the public abreast of the changes as they are implemented.
