Data collected by the Town shows EMS response times are improving in Okotoks.
The latest medical response monthly update was presented to Okotoks council on May 23 and the Town said it shows a significant improvement in EMS response times between March and April.
The monthly reports track the time it takes for EMS to arrive, and the amount of time firefighters wait for them, when both services are dispatched to a medical emergency.
Town data shows the average EMS response time in April was about eight minutes and 30 seconds, down from over 12 minutes in March.
Firefighters and EMS co-responded to 39 medical calls in April, with the fire department arriving before an ambulance 11 times.
In instances where the fire department arrived first, the average wait time for EMS dropped from over six minutes in March to just over three minutes in April.
In April, the total amount of time fire crews had to wait for EMS to arrive was 35 minutes, compared to nearly two and a half hours in March.
Mayor Tanya Thorn said she hopes to see EMS response times continue to trend downwards.
In a statement last week, Highwood UCP candidate RJ Sigurdson said EMS wait times are improving in the province.
Faster response times are the result of EMS advisory committee recommendations and additional funding from the Province, Sigurdson said.
"Recently, we added $136 million in new EMS funding to hire more staff and put more ambulances on the road,” he said.
“We also implemented new EMS patient transfer guidelines at hospitals to allow paramedics and ambulances to get back on the road faster.”
He said EMS response times have improved by 38 per cent in Calgary, and by an average of 33 per cent in smaller communities.
Town staff began collecting the data last year due to concerns about EMS response times in Okotoks, and presented the first monthly report to council last July.
The Town said the reports keep local politicians updated on EMS response times and the effect they are having on fire department resources in Okotoks, and give the Town data to advocate for changes at the provincial level.
When the first report came out, the fire department arrived to medical calls before EMS 45 per cent of the time, waiting an average of seven minutes and 16 seconds for an ambulance to arrive.
