Brandon firefighter-paramedic union sounds alarm on ambulance transfers

Brandon’s firefighter-paramedic union is sounding the alarm about a new provincial directive it says could leave the city without local ambulances when residents need them most.

Under a Shared Health directive that took effect Monday, all ambulances in the city can be dispatched for long-distance inter-facility transfers. That means the city’s three primary ambulances could be on the highway to Winnipeg when an emergency call comes in, Brandon Firefighter Paramedics Local 803 president Gage Wood says.

He says it stretches resources thin and risks leaving Brandon residents waiting for help.

"This change is unacceptable … it is creating so much hardship on our memberships and the citizens of Brandon," Wood said. "They deserve a timely response when they call 911."

Under the new rules, all ambulances are eligible for non-emergency Winnipeg transfers, including for appointments. Wood said they’ve historically been able to decline such trips. 

This week, that has meant leaving as few as one active ambulance in the city at times, he said, adding crews respond to around 28 calls a day.

The policy came as a surprise, Wood said. When it took effect members were told it was necessary because of the lack of ambulances across Prairie Mountain Health.

Brandon Fire and Emergency Services is disproportionately affected because its units are closest to Brandon Regional Health Centre, making it first in line for transfers, Wood said.

"There are a ton of transfers. I'm not here to downplay that patients need further care in Winnipeg, but to treat our ambulances as a shuttle service for these is unacceptable," he said.

Wood says Brandon will sometimes need to pull ambulances from surrounding rural communities — such as Rivers, Souris, Carberry, Virden and Neepawa — to cover 911. That is something they've been trying to avoid.

Another issue is that Brandon’s members are cross-trained as firefighter-paramedics, Wood said. They keep gear in their ambulances so they can respond to fires or medical emergencies, and he worries the new policy could force trade-offs between the two.

Some residents said the prospect of an ambulance shortfall is unsettling.

Maureen Farrant, a senior living in Brandon, said the news is scary, especially in a city with more than 8,400 residents over the age of 65.

"All the baby boomers like myself are all going to need those ambulances," she said. "If it's going to come from another place and I live by myself, I'll probably be dead before an ambulance arrives."