FORT FRANCES — A shortage of emergency personnel in the district has forced a planned closure of the Emo ambulance station.
News of emergency paramedic services being removed from Emo landed on social media this weekend, noting that the move was made to maintain delivery at the stations in Rainy River and Fort Frances.
The impact of this move would mean ambulances would need to be dispatched from either of those two communities to respond to Emo.
In a statement from the District of Rainy River Services Board, who oversee paramedic services in the district, the decision was made in response to what it calls “significant” staffing shortages.
“The District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB) recently made the difficult decision to temporarily relocate the provision of emergency paramedic services from the Emo Station to the Fort Frances and Rainy River Stations,” the statement reads.
“This action was deemed necessary to address the ongoing and significant staffing shortages that have put a strain on our ability to maintain safe and effective service levels across the district. To realign service coverage, the Community Paramedicine program will be moving to the Emo station.
"Additionally, the Fort Frances ambulance, which currently operates eight hours a day, five days a week, will expand to operate seven days a week to improve service reliability throughout the district.”
DRRSB notes that the decision represents a necessary step in order to reallocate paramedic resources effectively, a result of the staffing shortages that are hitting services across the province as dozens of paramedic services compete with each other to attract and retain a limited number of paramedics.
The province has made moves in efforts to train more paramedics in Ontario to address the ongoing shortage, with the government adding 300 additional spaces in paramedicine programs at provincial colleges across Ontario in 2023.
It also introduced a Stay and Learn grant for paramedicine students who were interested in attending priority programs in priority communities across Ontario that would require students remain in the region in which they studied for six months per year of study in the program in order to earn a grant that would cover the cost of the program.
The grant is something local post-secondary education organizations like Seven Generations Education Institute have offered through their paramedicine program in the past.
Despite ongoing efforts to ease the pressures of low staffing numbers, however, rural and northern paramedicine services are still feeling the crunch of staffing shortages across many different parts of the health industry, which in turn lead to temporary shuttering of Emergency rooms, longer wait times for medical care, and now, ambulance station closures.
“We understand the impact this decision may have on the community, and we want to assure residents that we remain committed to delivering the best possible service during this challenging time,” DRRSB said in its statement.
“We continue to explore all options to address the staffing shortages that have are impacting our operations. Our goal is to stabilize our service and restore full operational capacity.”
DRRSB said the realignment of staff will not take place immediately as they work with the union representing local paramedics to “work through the details of implementing this change,” though no date of the anticipated closure was given.
“The health and safety of both our paramedic staff and the public are our top priorities,” DRRSB said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust as necessary to ensure that we can meet the needs of the Rainy River District. Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate these challenges together.”
The Fort Frances Times has reached out to the union representing local paramedics for comment, and will continue to follow this story as it develops.
The Fort Frances Times / Local Journalism Initiative
