How does the issue of EMS wait time affect Airdrie's Fire Service?

On August 5, Airdrie's Fire Chief, Mike Pirie released preliminary data regarding a breakdown of call volume for Airdrie's Fire Department in 2021. Medical response calls totalled nearly 50 per cent of the call volume for the previous year and for the first six months of 2022 (January 1 - July 1) there have been 665 medical calls. Chief Pirie noted that overall, there was been an 18.5 per cent increase in call volume since 2021.

Airdrie's Fire Department has released statistics detailed call volume for 2021 (Photo provided by Airdrie Fire Chief Mike Pirie/ Airdrie Fire Department)

And while the bulk of the medical calls for 2021 and 2022, thus far, have been for Delta emergency calls, which are classified as a serious life-threatening response at an advanced life support level, which fire services respond to regularly, they have also been responding to calls at the request of Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

"Alpha and Bravo calls require EMS to request the service. Typically to help move patients, force entry into properties or if there is an extensive EMS response time. None of these are automatic and require a person to make the decision to attach us. We do not refuse requests and will always go if requested," Chief Pirie wrote.

While Airdrie's Fire Department has responded by far and large to both Delta and Echo calls, they are also responding to calls at the behest of EMS 

According to previously obtained data by Discover Airdrie via The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) (2022-G-219), the average response times for 9-1-1 events in the City of Airdrie by EMS for an alpha emergency call ranged from approximately 10 minutes (recorded both in 2021 and 2022) to 20 minutes (January 2022). The longest response time for an alpha event was 90 minutes in April 2022. It is important to note that the statistics from the FOIP documentation do not illustrate which events the Airdrie Fire Department responded to.

However, Discover Airdrie did report in March 2022, that the average total call time for medical co-response for AFD calls was 22 minutes and 21 seconds; meaning the clock started from the point of dispatch and included response time to a scene, the wait times on scene as well as a crew going back into service – or leaving a scene. 

The average response time by EMS for Bravo events ranged from approximately nine minutes (recorded both in 2021 and 2022) to 15 minutes. The longest response time for a bravo event was in April 2022, nearing an hour.

According to Chief Pirie, when it comes to Charlie medical events being responded to by fire crews, those are based on the requirement for EMS to be at least 10 minutes away.

"It is somewhat automated in the computer system in EMS dispatch. If the selected ambulance is greater than 10 minutes by GPS, the computer should send it automatically to AFD."

He underlined that in practice, the GPS coordinates are somewhat inconsistent and that typically the EMS response is far greater before it comes to AFD.

"We have no control of this part of the system beyond setting the level of service," Chief Pirie underlined.

Data shows that the average response time for a Charlie event by EMS ranged from an estimated nine minutes to around 15 minutes. No Charlie event from 2021 till May 2022 was under less than 10 minutes. The longest recorded time for EMS to respond to a Charlie event was in February 2022; nearly one hour.

Delta emergencies, one of the most serious 9-1-1 determinants, saw EMS responding on average between an estimated seven and 12 minutes in 2021 and 2022. However, the maximum longest wait times for Delta emergencies are nearly the same as those for an Alpha level maximum response. In December 2021, there was an approximate 54-minute wait for EMS to respond to a Delta event.

Echo emergencies saw average EMS response times fairly stable, anywhere from an estimated six minutes to approximately 11 minutes in both 2021 and 2022. The longest time EMS took to respond to an Echo call, was in April 2022; nearly 18 minutes.

Other medical calls that AFD responded to were dubbed "Omega" calls. 

"The Omega code is typically associated with interfacility transfers. It can also be a referral to another agency as the call doesn’t require an EMS response.  For example, if we were called to the Urgent Care Center through 9-1-1 dispatch to screen a patient for carbon monoxide poisoning with our monitors," Chief Pirie wrote.

He did however add that these types of calls are very rare for the city's fire service.

In 2022, Airdrie's fire crews were on the scene prior to EMS 47 per cent of the time, which is in line with 2021 statistics.

According to Alberta Health Services spokesperson James Wood, EMS has heard feedback from local communities regarding ambulances in their areas, and has been adding new ambulances in Calgary and Edmonton to help alleviate the pressure on the system and reduce the need to rely on ambulances from other communities, with ten new ambulances, five each in Calgary and Edmonton, are already in service, with ten more coming into service in September.

However, even with the added resources currently in Calgary, a recent tweet from the Calgary Police Service on August 14 illustrates that the EMS shortage is impacting not only residents but other first responder agencies, including the City of Calgary's Fire Department.

The Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie calls combined, all of which are not typically responded to by fire services accounted for approximately 11 per cent of all medical calls in 2021, and approximately 9 per cent of all medical calls for 2022, thus far.

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