George Glazier
Message from the Chairman
It has been my pleasure to work as a member of the Board of
Directors for East Central 911 Call Answer Society since our beginnings in 2005.
The largest challenge that this Organization has had to face since our beginning is the dire impact of recent changes to Alberta Health Services policies that have threatened the rural safety network in rural Alberta.
If you ask anybody that actually works in the Emergency Services environment, they will tell you that a coordinated effort in deploying resources or in responding to emergency needs is first and foremost. The “would-be centralization” of ground ambulance dispatch to Edmonton, Calgary or Peace River does not take into consideration the challenges that face rural emergency services. Fire, ambulance and rescue services must have the ability to communicate, coordinate and to adapt to changing environments very quickly. Given the distances that we must contend with when responding to emergencies we must get this right the first time, every time.
The previous Minister of Health Mr. Gene Zwozdesky halted the transition of ambulance dispatch in March of 2010. This "halt" continues to this date and has been in effect for nearly 2 years now. The provincial government is starting to understand that there is not just one model of emergency response that works in both urban and rural areas. Advocates of amalgamated ground ambulance dispatch will argue that technologies are in place that will overcome these hurdles, but the fact is that these technologies are not reliable and the infrastructure in rural Alberta is not yet there in support of these technologies. Our membership has come to understand that this is not just a problem in remote areas such as in some of our municipalities, but it occurs all over the province. Our membership has further come to understand that larger centers are also feeling negative impacts from the transition of ground ambulance dispatch.
Our 27 municipalities have experienced first-hand the negative impacts resulting in a reduction of ambulances and the dissolution of coordinated ambulance, fire, and rescue efforts. We had a system in place that worked, why does someone want to change it?
In resolutions passed by the AAMDC and the AUMA in the fall of 2011, Municipalities overwhelmingly recognized the problems and encouraged the provincial government to reverse the transitioned model that AHS had been moving forward with prior to the "halt". It is clear that this is not working anywhere.
The Board of Directors for East Central 911 and I are committed to protecting the safety net that we have built over the past years in order to safeguard our populations and the populations that travel through our municipalities on a daily basis. We encourage your voice in our support, and your voice in support of the rural emergency services workers that keep you safe every day.
Thank you
George Glazier
Chair, Board of Directors
January, 2012
It has been my pleasure to work as a member of the Board of
Directors for East Central 911 Call Answer Society since our beginnings in 2005.
The largest challenge that this Organization has had to face since our beginning is the dire impact of recent changes to Alberta Health Services policies that have threatened the rural safety network in rural Alberta.
If you ask anybody that actually works in the Emergency Services environment, they will tell you that a coordinated effort in deploying resources or in responding to emergency needs is first and foremost. The “would-be centralization” of ground ambulance dispatch to Edmonton, Calgary or Peace River does not take into consideration the challenges that face rural emergency services. Fire, ambulance and rescue services must have the ability to communicate, coordinate and to adapt to changing environments very quickly. Given the distances that we must contend with when responding to emergencies we must get this right the first time, every time.
The previous Minister of Health Mr. Gene Zwozdesky halted the transition of ambulance dispatch in March of 2010. This "halt" continues to this date and has been in effect for nearly 2 years now. The provincial government is starting to understand that there is not just one model of emergency response that works in both urban and rural areas. Advocates of amalgamated ground ambulance dispatch will argue that technologies are in place that will overcome these hurdles, but the fact is that these technologies are not reliable and the infrastructure in rural Alberta is not yet there in support of these technologies. Our membership has come to understand that this is not just a problem in remote areas such as in some of our municipalities, but it occurs all over the province. Our membership has further come to understand that larger centers are also feeling negative impacts from the transition of ground ambulance dispatch.
Our 27 municipalities have experienced first-hand the negative impacts resulting in a reduction of ambulances and the dissolution of coordinated ambulance, fire, and rescue efforts. We had a system in place that worked, why does someone want to change it?
In resolutions passed by the AAMDC and the AUMA in the fall of 2011, Municipalities overwhelmingly recognized the problems and encouraged the provincial government to reverse the transitioned model that AHS had been moving forward with prior to the "halt". It is clear that this is not working anywhere.
The Board of Directors for East Central 911 and I are committed to protecting the safety net that we have built over the past years in order to safeguard our populations and the populations that travel through our municipalities on a daily basis. We encourage your voice in our support, and your voice in support of the rural emergency services workers that keep you safe every day.
Thank you
George Glazier
Chair, Board of Directors
January, 2012
