The Opposition says volunteer fire departments are growing increasingly concerned about the number of times they’re called out to medical emergencies in place of ambulances.
Road ambulance services have been integrated across the province to make the system more efficient, yet, Opposition Leader Tony Wakeham says serious gaps remain.
Opposition Leader, Tony Wakeham
Wakeham raised the issue in the House of Assembly today.
“We’ve been told that these volunteers receive no funding for supplies, time or resources. I ask the minister, are volunteer firefighters now the first responders in the new provincial ambulance program, and will they be funded?” Wakeham asked.
Premier Andrew Furey, April 15, 2025
Premier Andrew Furey offered assurances that the province values volunteer firefighters, “we’ve been there to support them, and we will continue to be there to support them in the future.”
Wakeham also questioned response times after learning that it took an hour for paramedics to respond to a medical emergency at a business in CBS.
Wakeham asked, “Is that acceptable?”
Acting Minister of Health John Haggie says medical calls are triaged through provincial medical control and “the response times are sometimes a challenge. One of the previous questions was around volunteer fire departments and they have been integrated now into the 911 system as we move towards an integrated first response for accidents and emergencies of all kind.” Haggie invited Wakeham to provide him with more information on the incident in question so that he can get the answers he’s looking for.)
