Vigils are being held for those who have been impacted by the current state of EMS response times in Alberta.
The vigils are part of the EMS Safeline, which is a grassroots advocacy group that gives those who have been impacted by EMS response times a safe place to speak.
According to Ali Morrison, the creator of EMS Safeline, the Safeline was created after seeing a Facebook post about Ryan Middleton, the paramedic who spoke out about issues within EMS delivery a few years ago.
"I jumped in, contacted Ryan and started my work," explains Morrison. "After two years doing that, we just weren't getting any results, and I was knocking my brain about what we could do to help medics. So, I started EMS Safeline as a confidential place where medics could tell their stories, and I began documenting those stories in hopes that one day, accountability would happen for what these men and women are going through."
Through EMS Safeline, paramedics can report instances of abuse, employment, and human rights violations they encounter, as well as the everyday working conditions paramedics have to deal with.
After collecting the information for a year and a half, Morrison brought this information to a couple local MLAs and the Secretary for EMS Reform to let them know the conditions these paramedics are dealing with, but according to Morrison, not one of them acted on that information.
Morrison says they were eventually able to have a meeting with Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange.
"And again, nothing happened. After that meeting where we presented volumes of up-to-date FOIP, detailing how bad the crisis was," Morrison says.
Some of the information she provided included the number of ambulances available in the Calgary area.
"For example, only a couple of weeks ago there was only 53 per cent of the workforce actually out there on the street in Calgary."
There have also been two instances of "red alerts" in the last several weeks, where the Town of Okotoks was without ambulances because they had been called elsewhere.
Morrison says they are now holding vigils are a way to get word out to the public.
"This is our new avenue that I'm going down with Ryan [Middleton] is that we are holding these vigils to try and reach out to those people who really have no voice, and we know they're out there. And we know that they have suffered unbearable losses and that should never have happened," Morrison says.
Morrison adds that these people probably wouldn't have passed away if there were sufficient paramedics and EMS available, making it so no one in the rural areas is more than a few minutes away from an ambulance.
As an example, Morrison says that stroke victims only have a few minutes to receive a shot and recover, but if it takes longer than that to receive that shot, the person can either die or become permanently paralyzed.
"Over the years, it really started going downhill. The history of this was in 2012, where they centralized ambulance services. So, what that means is that the nearest ambulance, anywhere, will be sent to the call. So, what if there is a red alert situation?" Morrison says.
Two and a half years ago, that scenario happened in Cochrane.
Morrison explained that there were no ambulances in or around Cochrane when someone called for one, so one had to be sent up from Lethbridge.
According to Google Maps, the fastest way to go from Lethbridge to Cochrane is a 245 km drive.
She adds that there was a time within the last few years when there weren't any ambulances available in Alberta, so dispatch ended up shutting down because they couldn't handle to volume of calls coming in.
"The fact that that is actually happening in this day and age should be terrifying to everyone."
With these vigils that EMS Safeline are holding, they are giving these paramedics and those who have been affected by the delayed ambulance response times a place to tell their stories and to connect with others who are also suffering.
Morrison wanted to reassure everyone who attends the vigils that any stories that are told are confidential.
The upcoming EMS vigils are:
DIAMOND VALLEY SAT AUG 24 11 am
Turner Valley Legion
OKOTOKS SAT AUG 24 2 pm
Sheep River PK Covered Picnic area
COCHRANE SAT AUG 31 11 am
Mitford Park Stage Area
AIRDRIE SAT AUG 31 3 pm
Jensen Park Gazebo
OLDS/ DIDSBURY SAT SEPT 14 11 am
Community Connections Bldg
CARSTAIRS SAT SEPT 14 2 pm
Centennial Park Gazebo (tentative)
To learn more about EMS Safeline and the Vigils, head over to the EMS Safeline Facebook page.
