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Paramedic chiefs from the rural counties surrounding Ottawa say they’re obligated to send ambulances to cover calls in the city — without compensation.
Neighbouring municipalities are legally required to lend a hand under the province’s Ambulance Act. The deal goes both ways, but it’s increasingly out of balance, with the counties providing more than their fair share of services to Ottawa, said Michel Chrétien, director of emergency services in Prescott-Russell, which borders Ottawa’s east end.
“We don’t mind helping the city of Ottawa. They also give us help. But it’s not a few calls. It’s hundreds and hundreds of calls,” he said.
At a meeting of Renfrew County’s health committee last week, emergency services director Mike Nolan estimated that the municipalities bordering the city covered 1,600 of Ottawa’s calls in 2015.
Chrétien said Prescott-Russell paramedics went on 523 calls in Ottawa in 2015, while Ottawa handled 140 calls for Prescott-Russell. Of the Ottawa calls, 487 were life-threatening emergencies. On Tuesday, the day of the snow storm, Prescott-Russell paramedics handled nine calls in Ottawa, including one at the Via Rail station at Tremblay Road.
Meanwhile, a 10-year agreement that provided compensation for the cross-boundary calls expired at the end of December. And Ottawa has indicated that it has no intention of extending it, said Chrétien.
“Our taxpayers are now subsidizing the city of Ottawa.”
Once the ambulance is in Ottawa, its crew may be required to answer more Ottawa calls, many in the core of the city, he said. “We call it the black hole. We get called in and we don’t get out.”
West Carleton Coun. Eli El-Chanitry shares the paramedic chiefs’ concerns. He has often been asked why Renfrew ambulances are picking up residents in his ward.
“They can’t afford to lose ambulances to Ottawa,” he said. “We’re the big city. It’s heart-breaking to hear this. Other municipalities are picking up our slack.”
Ottawa paramedics stationed in the village of Kinburn are often pulled away to deliver a patient to an Ottawa hospital, said El-Chantiry. Once there, the ambulance must respond to calls in the Ottawa queue and doesn’t return to Kinburn.
‘Other municipalities are picking up our slack,’ says West Carleton Coun. Eli El-Chantiry.
Chrétien and El-Chantiry fear there might not be coverage in rural areas if ambulances are in Ottawa. El-Chantiry points to the case of Alice Martin, a 75-year-old Greely woman who died in 2003 after waiting 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach her rural home. The case sparked an inquest which made 24 recommendations to improve paramedic service.
El-Chantiry said his concerns about rural services aren’t anti-city.
“I understand that the ByWard Market needs more police than West Carleton. Nevertheless, we have to provide a service,” said El-Chantiry, who is the chair of Ottawa’s police services board.
“Ottawa has to pull up its socks and have more of its own paramedics stay in its own community. We simply don’t have enough paramedics to serve Ottawa. If we did, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Chrétien sees two solutions — either Ottawa pays to cover calls or it increases its own resources so it can cover its own calls.
“Ottawa is very, very big. They need help,” he said. “But why should that help come for free? Either take care of it yourself or pay your neighbours.”
The City of Ottawa said a spokesman was not available to comment on the issue Wednesday.
jlaucius@postmedia.com
查看原文...
Neighbouring municipalities are legally required to lend a hand under the province’s Ambulance Act. The deal goes both ways, but it’s increasingly out of balance, with the counties providing more than their fair share of services to Ottawa, said Michel Chrétien, director of emergency services in Prescott-Russell, which borders Ottawa’s east end.
“We don’t mind helping the city of Ottawa. They also give us help. But it’s not a few calls. It’s hundreds and hundreds of calls,” he said.
At a meeting of Renfrew County’s health committee last week, emergency services director Mike Nolan estimated that the municipalities bordering the city covered 1,600 of Ottawa’s calls in 2015.
Chrétien said Prescott-Russell paramedics went on 523 calls in Ottawa in 2015, while Ottawa handled 140 calls for Prescott-Russell. Of the Ottawa calls, 487 were life-threatening emergencies. On Tuesday, the day of the snow storm, Prescott-Russell paramedics handled nine calls in Ottawa, including one at the Via Rail station at Tremblay Road.
Meanwhile, a 10-year agreement that provided compensation for the cross-boundary calls expired at the end of December. And Ottawa has indicated that it has no intention of extending it, said Chrétien.
“Our taxpayers are now subsidizing the city of Ottawa.”
Once the ambulance is in Ottawa, its crew may be required to answer more Ottawa calls, many in the core of the city, he said. “We call it the black hole. We get called in and we don’t get out.”
West Carleton Coun. Eli El-Chanitry shares the paramedic chiefs’ concerns. He has often been asked why Renfrew ambulances are picking up residents in his ward.
“They can’t afford to lose ambulances to Ottawa,” he said. “We’re the big city. It’s heart-breaking to hear this. Other municipalities are picking up our slack.”
Ottawa paramedics stationed in the village of Kinburn are often pulled away to deliver a patient to an Ottawa hospital, said El-Chantiry. Once there, the ambulance must respond to calls in the Ottawa queue and doesn’t return to Kinburn.
‘Other municipalities are picking up our slack,’ says West Carleton Coun. Eli El-Chantiry.
Chrétien and El-Chantiry fear there might not be coverage in rural areas if ambulances are in Ottawa. El-Chantiry points to the case of Alice Martin, a 75-year-old Greely woman who died in 2003 after waiting 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach her rural home. The case sparked an inquest which made 24 recommendations to improve paramedic service.
El-Chantiry said his concerns about rural services aren’t anti-city.
“I understand that the ByWard Market needs more police than West Carleton. Nevertheless, we have to provide a service,” said El-Chantiry, who is the chair of Ottawa’s police services board.
“Ottawa has to pull up its socks and have more of its own paramedics stay in its own community. We simply don’t have enough paramedics to serve Ottawa. If we did, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Chrétien sees two solutions — either Ottawa pays to cover calls or it increases its own resources so it can cover its own calls.
“Ottawa is very, very big. They need help,” he said. “But why should that help come for free? Either take care of it yourself or pay your neighbours.”
The City of Ottawa said a spokesman was not available to comment on the issue Wednesday.
jlaucius@postmedia.com
查看原文...
