Longtime Calgary paramedic speaks out after fatal dog attack, criticizes AHS ambulance dispatch
Posted June 11, 2022 1:41 pm.
A former paramedic is speaking out, saying there have been growing concerns about Alberta Health Services (AHS) ahead of the delayed response to a fatal dog attack in Calgary last week.
He does not want to be identified after spending 15 years as a paramedic and finally deciding to leave this year after the consolidation of EMS dispatch by the province
An 86-year-old woman was killed by three dogs this past Sunday and it took 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
The former paramedic thinks with dispatch consolidation, lack of staff and management issues, it could happen again.
He was outraged after hearing what happened to Betty Ann Williams.
“My heart broke, and my heart broke instantly,” he said.
He says he doesn’t buy the claims from AHS the call was responded to properly, because hearing of multiple dogs attacking a person should automatically generate a swift response from crews.
The former paramedic was a dispatcher for a year before going into an ambulance.
“As soon as there was more than one dog it was a delta level response, which automatically got us that immediate fire. They can then step up the response of the ambulance, they can assist us. But if they are not there or they are not dispatched, there’s no chance for us to do that,” he said.
He says AHS is seemingly trying to make excuses and is not helping at all.
“That’s not the right answer. The right answer would have been ‘we’re terribly sorry for this loss. Our condolences go out to the family and the community and we’re going to make some changes to get this right,’” he said.
“We constantly want to help but we’re either overworked, burnt out or there’s just nobody to fill that seat,” he said.
Related Article: Calgary’s mayor says EMS dispatch system are to blame for fatality in dog attack
AHS is launching an investigation into how the call was handled but it will take four months to complete. And the fact it will take that long raises more red flags, says the former Calgary paramedic.
“I think that’s ridiculous,” he said. “That’s also keeping that book open for the family members of the loved one that they lost, for their closure, and nobody wants to wait four months to have that chapter close to move on with their life.”
Related Article: Northwest Calgary deadly dog attack was initially deemed ‘non-life-threatening’: AHS
He wants to speak out in the hopes of encouraging more paramedics to stand up and call for change, saying there have been bureaucratic problems with AHS for a long time.
And he believes it will take a lot more to fix the issue than just adding some more staff and ambulances this year.
“We need to sound our voice and we need to not back down as we have in the past. We need to stand up for that change and make sure it happens,” he said.
He fears if nothing else is done quickly, this will all be forgotten. He’s also worried all of these ongoing issues with AHS will push more paramedics out of the job, and lead to more tragedies.
“Unless there’s a drastic change in the way the system is handled, I do feel like this is going to happen again. And part of that problem is the consolidated dispatch,” he said.
–With files from Tom Ross
