Edmonton Sun
By Sun Media
Copyright 2007 Sun Media Corporation
All Rights Reserved
CALGARY, AB — The head of the Calgary paramedics’ union is questioning the legality of the city’s contingency plan in case of a strike.
The paramedics are poised to issue strike notice as early as today.
City spokesman Vickie Megrath says EMS management staff - who are also trained emergency measures technicians - will step in if there’s a walkout.
She says managers from other areas of the city have been trained to drive ambulances.
But union president Bruce Robb is questioning both the safety and legality of that plan.
He says the Ambulance Service Act says that for advanced life support service, each ambulance must have either a paramedic and an emergency measures technician or two paramedics.
“A paramedic and a transit supervisor or a paramedic and a manager from waterworks, or wherever, doesn’t fit into the act and I don’t believe that would make them a legal ambulance,” Robb said Saturday.
He said 160 paramedics and 40 ambulances are needed to cover the city during a typical 24-hour period.
“How do you spread those people around?” he asked.
Megrath would not say how many managers will be available or how many ambulances will be in service should a strike happen.
“We’re not prepared to talk numbers at the moment,” she said.
“We can’t replace our 425 paramedics but we will have a level of service to address emergency calls so people having a serious medical emergency should continue to call 911.”
Paramedics voted 99% in favour of going on strike, with wages the key sticking point.
However, provincial officials have said they will not allow a strike and will send the dispute to binding arbitration.