The EMS leadership team makes it too easy. In Part One, we discussed the failure of some of their programs, and we plan to shed light on more as we dig deeper. But for now, let’s talk about the Stampede. Every year in Calgary, just as in Edmonton, you can count on the Stampede and K-Days. This is a fact not open to dispute—it’s as certain as finding a cowboy hat at the Stampede! EMS managers know it’s coming and with it, an increase in call volume. They acknowledged as much in a recent story: “Despite a 14 percent increase in call volumes, EMS continues to respond to citizens in a timely manner with no marked increase in response times for high-priority calls.” So what’s the hitch? There’s no shortage of managers, supervisors, and people with all sorts of flashy titles roaming the hallways and offices of EMS HQ. What seems to be missing? Imagination. Maybe they’re too busy polishing their titles to come up with creative solutions! But what is abundantly obvious is that their solutions have produced more of the same, failing to take care of their staff, which manifests in the form of mass vacancies.
Where there is a problem, there must be a solution, and here in the Calgary Zone the senior leadership team found one: “WHO WANTS OVERTIME!?!?!”
At least you can do this while your management colleagues chant “one of us, one of us” and “how low can we go.” It would almost be amusing if it weren’t such a spectacular disaster. In 2023, the Calgary Stampede resulted in 3,848 hours of paramedic overtime; in 2024, that number climbed to 4,365 hours. If only there were a degree in managing disasters caused by incompetent leaders with fancy degrees from Royal Roads, we’d all be in great shape!
What did Calgary get for that? In 2023, the city saw an average of about 32 ambulances shut down per day during the Stampede. In 2024, that number dropped slightly to 27.5 ambulances shut down per day, but it still required an additional 517 hours of overtime compared to 2023. #Innovative.
This situation illustrates a shocking degree of incompetence and a cult-like dedication to an EMS system that has consistently failed to meet its basic responsibilities. Despite evidence of persistent shortcomings, the response is emblematic of a system that continues to falter at every turn. The senior leadership team will defend it more fervently than Tom Cruise defends Scientology, even as frontline staff scream at the top of their lungs that this isn’t working.
If AHS EMS management doesn’t believe us, they need only look at the growing number of employees who have quit, retired, dropped to part-time or casual status, or gone on leave. This exodus of staff speaks volumes about the systemic and personal failures within their own ranks, highlighting the urgent need for a complete overhaul of the EMS system.
We issued a challenge to the senior management team several weeks ago when we suspected there would be a lack of ambulance availability during the Stampede. We urged them to be honest if the media questioned what was happening within AHS EMS. Now, let’s examine what was said then, and credit goes to Jennifer Lee with the CBC for her article (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/staffing-shortages-paramedics-stampede-heat-wave-1.7260725):
Alberta Health Services said demand is increasing, which is typical at this time of year.
"Despite an increase in call volumes of up to 14 per cent, AHS EMS continues to respond to citizens in a timely manner with no marked increase in response times for high priority calls," a spokesperson said in a statement emailed to CBC News.
The health authority said additional resources are added at busy times, so the gaps don't reflect the true vacancy rate, and it is working to increase coverage during Stampede.
"This includes working to fill shifts through normal process and with overtime being offered, enlisting paramedics from other areas … working with our partners in emergency departments to ensure ambulances and paramedics are returned to the community quickly, and ensuring paramedics performing non-front-line work [such as training] are assigned to the front line," the statement said.
The health authority noted the Calgary Stampede has a private paramedic service providing support on the grounds. It said AHS paramedics attend if patients need to be transported off the grounds.
According to AHS, EMS staffing increased by 19.2 per cent between December 2019 and May 2024.
It said EMS hired 362 paramedics last year and 139 so far this year. Twenty-seven paramedics have resigned or retired to date in 2024 and 38 did so in the first half of 2023.”
What can we draw from this? The obvious point is that when AHS EMS management publicly makes false statements about operational shortcomings, it severely impacts staff morale. How many years did the former chief manage to undermine morale by insisting the closest available ambulance would respond, regardless of its actual proximity? Such actions erode trust and credibility between management and staff, leading to feelings of disillusionment and betrayal among employees. This diminished trust can reduce motivation, lower job satisfaction, and increase turnover rates.
This isn’t up for debate; AHS EMS management has witnessed this train wreck in slow motion for years. Moreover, it can undermine team cohesion and negatively affect patient care. Paramedics often don’t know what management does, and let’s be honest—management doesn’t fully understand what paramedics do. They may hold registrations with ACoP, but many have been so far removed from the front lines that they’re about as familiar with an ambulance as a PCP student before their practicums.
Maintaining transparency and honesty is crucial for fostering a supportive and effective work environment where staff feel valued and motivated to perform at their best. Unfortunately, AHS EMS has been operating a system that’s as far from this ideal as a paramedic is from a boardroom. So, managers, if you’re still lurking about, consider reflecting on how your statements suggest a serious lack of transparency—and remember that accountability isn’t just a buzzword; it’s essential for managing a functioning EMS system.
“The health authority said additional resources are added at busy times, so the gaps don't reflect the true vacancy rate, and it is working to increase coverage during Stampede.”
There were 550 vacant EMS shifts and 275 ambulance shutdowns, yet management chose to gaslight both the public and their own staff by claiming that additional ambulances masked the true vacancy rates. Despite those extra ambulances, the situation remained dire: 44 were scheduled, but only 28 were actually filled. Everyone, let’s give a slow clap to the author of AHS’s statement. This is precisely why the media continues to highlight these issues—because it seems like you have a degree in getting caught lying and a master’s in avoiding the truth! Did Royal Roads teach you that?
When CTV and CBC asked if you were short-staffed, you resorted to some classic gaslighting. We can’t wait to share this post with them so they can see just how hollow your words really are the next time we decide to expose you.
“This includes working to fill shifts through the normal process and with overtime being offered, enlisting paramedics from other areas, working with our partners in emergency departments to ensure ambulances and paramedics are returned to the community quickly, and ensuring paramedics performing non-front-line work [such as training] are assigned to the front line,"
There’s a lot to unpack in this statement, especially regarding management’s priorities. For starters, why are paramedics being shifted to “non-front-line work” during a staffing crisis? We encourage you to review our previous posts or stay tuned for future ones that delve into where all these personnel truly end up; the staffing situation is dire. To describe this practice as involving “training” is absurd. Anyone in EMS today knows that clinical education operates as a separate department, rarely interacting with the front line—much like a VIP lounge at a concert that the band only visits on rare occasions, usually for those dreaded recertification days that feel more painful than a dental appointment for something utterly useless.
This statement is essentially lipstick on a pig, attempting to distract from the reality that management is dodging the real issues—like trying to cover a leaky roof with a fresh coat of paint. They avoid discussing how many front-line staff have been reassigned, how many have transitioned to assistant supervisor roles, or how many gaps have emerged for special projects. Vanity projects—those shiny, irrelevant distractions—should only be pursued when there’s no actual crisis at hand, especially given that so few of them ever materialize into something meaningful and useful.
What’s even more concerning is the claim of “working with our partners in emergency departments to ensure ambulances and paramedics are returned to the community quickly.” This assertion highlights an objective failure that has undoubtedly contributed to negative patient outcomes. During a recent meeting with some of AHS "leadership", the practice of flexing was defended through some impressive mental gymnastics. However, it was pointed out that this practice blatantly offloads city problems onto rural communities, both large and small. Returning ambulances to the community quickly during the Stampede also meant sending rural ambulances back to Calgary. In fact, rural ambulances were reassigned to the city 167 times—a figure that, shockingly, might be celebrated within management circles as a twisted achievement.
Wouldn’t those ambulances be better suited in their home communities? Anne even cited Priddis as an example, pointing to its low call volume as justification for shifting resources away from smaller communities, as if this wouldn’t be noticed. It’s almost as if they believe that while they schmooze with councils in the winter, claiming they’re working on improvements, spring and summer are the perfect seasons to give those same communities the cold shoulder. As long as they can say in December, “Yes, it was bad, but look at how we fixed it in the last few months,” they’re patting themselves on the back as if they’ve just won the Nobel Prize for Mediocrity, rather than demonstrating incompetence.
This kind of leadership mentality is like using a band-aid to fix a sinking ship—ineffective and completely out of touch with reality. The management’s approach has had devastating consequences for families in those communities, yet they seem to believe that as long as they keep repeating, “It’s under control,” the problem will magically disappear. They are aware that this practice harms people, but whether out of ineptitude or indifference, they refuse to address the real issues in the city, leaving rural populations to fend for themselves. Everything might seem fine—until Airdrie ambulances are responding to a major trauma on Moose Mountain.
In conclusion, let’s just say that Alberta Health Services EMS senior leadership has truly mastered the art of creative mismanagement. Their approach to the Stampede is a classic example: it’s as if they’ve been playing a high-stakes game of Jenga with emergency services—only instead of removing blocks, they’re shoving more in and hoping the tower doesn’t topple. Spoiler alert: it’s already on the verge of collapse. Again. Remember 2022?
Every year, Calgary’s Stampede rolls around with the predictability of a cowboy hat at a rodeo, yet AHS EMS always seems caught off-guard like a deer in headlights. The sheer volume of excuses and fancy titles filling the EMS HQ hallways might impress on a resume, but they do little to address the real problems. It’s as if management believes that by shuffling titles and roles like a deck of cards, they’ll magically resolve the staffing crisis. Meanwhile, the frontline continues to bear the brunt of mismanagement and a lack of real solutions.
Their solution to the shortage of ambulances? “Who wants overtime?” It’s a novel approach—if you consider slapping a band-aid on a bullet wound as innovative. Meanwhile, rural communities are left playing emergency services roulette, with ambulances being reassigned like a game of hot potato, all while management offers a condescending pat on the back, saying, “Look how well we’re managing.” Comparing July to January in council meetings is just another example of the disconnect, as if the two months could be interchangeable in the face of a staffing crisis.
In the grand tradition of over-promising and under-delivering, AHS management has truly mastered the art of saying, “We’re on it,” while their actions scream otherwise. They’ve clearly missed the memo from the government about dismantling ineffective layers of management, as highlighted in various critiques (https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/bell-health-boss-ahs-managers-greener-pastures). Instead, AHS EMS keeps the same old faces and strategies in place, clinging to the hope that the next special project will somehow fix the ongoing issues. It’s a classic case of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, while the ship continues to sink.
It’s reminiscent of that old saying: if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got—more chaos and less competence. So, to the senior leadership team: while you’re busy polishing your credentials and attending meetings about your next big “innovation,” remember this: you’re driving the EMS system straight into a ditch. We’re all just waiting to see how you’ll spin the next disaster as a major achievement. It’s a tough road ahead, but your ability to sidestep accountability will surely be tested.
And to the rest of us watching from the sidelines: buckle up. If this is what passes for progress, we’re in for one heck of a ride. At least Anne gave us her innovative online suggestions box—because nothing says “we’re listening” like a digital drop-off for complaints that will probably just disappear into the void. Innovative, indeed!
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