Spruce Grove Integrated Fire Services Need the Public’s Help
Pay attention, this is happening to services throughout Alberta… AHS wants to utilize a whole new private system… it’s broken already. Without the fire departments helping we will see a huge drop in patient supports… maybe AHS should cut back on the managers upon managers, then more money can go to EMS Service… Remember one day we all may need an ambulance… PLEASE Please Share
🚒🚑 Integrated Fire & EMS — Why it
A lot of people have been asking about the difference between **integrated** and **separate** Fire/EMS systems—and why we’re fighting so hard to keep it here in Spruce Grove/Sherwood Park/StAlbert/Lethbridge/Red Deer. This is a model cities have trusted for 114 years. The bottom line is: both models can work, but integrated services consistently bring key advantages when it matters most.
🔹 Faster advanced care
In an integrated system, paramedics aren’t just on ambulances—they’re on fire trucks too. That means **advanced life support can arrive sooner**, no matter which unit gets there first.
🔹 Better coverage when it’s busy
When ambulances are tied up:
* Integrated crews can deliver *advanced care immediately* from the first arriving fire truck.
* Separate systems often rely on basic first responder–level care until EMS arrives
🔹 One team, one response
Integrated crews train and work together every day. The result is - smoother coordination, faster decisions, and more efficient care-especially on complex calls.
🔹 Built for serious emergencies
Serious incidents aren’t just “fire” or “medical”—they’re often both. Integrated responders are trained to rescue, treat, and manage the whole situation seamlessly.
Real-world impact (Lethbridge)
*Patients are 1.5× more likely to survive cardiac arrest to hospital discharge compared to the national average
* Nationally, only about 60% of patients who regain a pulse maintain it to hospital arrival
* example: In Lethbridge, about 90% of patients arrive at the ER with a pulse.
Bottom line:
Integrated Fire/EMS means faster advanced care, stronger teamwork, and better outcomes when every second counts.
**Have your say:**
If this matters to you, consider reaching out to your **local councillors, mayor, MLA, Premier, (MLA’s, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Services, responsible for EHS)** to share your perspective.
This includes Spruce Grove, St.Albert. Strathcona County, Leduc, Red Deer, Lethbridge… we will see a bigger crisis happening…