Well, it’s that time again. Don was invited to an interview with his friends at CTV. Brought some not so flattering data, and the picture looked well... Bleak... So what's next? Time for AHS to roll out their spin cycle. You know, the one where everything's getting better, except the parts they don’t want you to notice. Sure, they’ll tout their staffing numbers and their so-called improvements but we’ve got the real numbers - let’s just say, they don’t add up.
Red alerts are down, but pending calls and orange alerts? They’re not getting the memo. Paramedic Burn out? Thats much the same, not good. So while AHS tries to put a shiny bow on a burning dumpster fire, we’re here to give you the truth—and it’s not pretty. If you want to support the fight for real change, we’d love a donation to our GiveSendGo at https://www.givesendgo.com/GC4M8. We've got an iminent post on South Zone coming, also in the pipe is a story from North Zone. We've also developing some promising tips on Edmonton Metro. Exciting times at wheresmyambulance.com
So our time with CTV? We uncovered and gave them some eye-popping data about Calgary Zone's Red Alerts, Orange Alerts, and Pending calls. What we found was that throughout much of 2022 and 2023, these metrics showed significant—and frankly terrifying—increases. Then, in 2023, something peculiar happened: Red Alerts suddenly took a nosedive. Sounds great, right? Well, hold the applause. Pending calls and Orange Alerts didn’t get the memo—they stayed stubbornly, catastrophically high.
This curious shift coincides with a memo sent out by AHS “Leadership.” And wouldn’t you know it, this memo conveniently left out some key metrics. Because of course it did. Gaslighting 101: you can’t fool people if you let them see the full picture, right?
Let’s put those “decreases” into perspective. Yes, there have been improvements. But they’re not exactly numbers you’d want to celebrate. In 2022, there were, on average, 3,390 pending calls per month. In 2023, that average dropped to 2,163 per month. And so far in 2024, we’re sitting at an average 883 per month.
That might look like a massive win—but before you start writing thank-you notes we suggest you take a closer look at the actual pending call stats in comparison to other key metrics. Spoiler alert: the devil’s in the details, and it’s not as shiny as they’d like you to think.
Let’s dive back into data compiled by Ryan Middleton. Today, Alberta Health Services EMS is staffing fewer ambulances province-wide than they were in 2019. Let that sink in. Fewer ambulances. And when you stack that up against another crucial metric—how quickly EMS units can clear hospitals—you arrive at a deeply unsettling conclusion: ambulances wrapping up a call today are guaranteed less downtime than those same crews had five years ago, and will work that much harder.
Why? Two big reasons. First, AHS “Leadership” hadn't kept up with growing demand. And second, in true overachiever fashion, they’ve also managed to completely burn out the staff they do have. Bravo, right?
So, while any “gains” they are touting might look good in a PowerPoint presentation, let’s not kid ourselves—those gains are being achieved at the expense of their already overworked, exhausted crews. Shocking? Not really. Predictable? Absolutely.
Funny how Alberta Health Services conveniently left that little gem out of their statement. Not that we’d ever expect them to admit to something so downright shameful. It’s just business as usual for AHS “Leadership.” Heaven forbid they actually do the right thing and acknowledge the brutal reality: the Paramedics they do have are being worked into the ground.
And here’s another funny thing—you never see AHS “Leadership” publicly banging the drum for more funding. How many years since AHS’s inception have we seen anyone from senior leadership making headlines, boldly demanding more provincial funding to expand EMS as demand skyrocketed? Meanwhile consider Calgary, where the fire department is all too happy to announce in the media that they need more funding to keep providing service (source). Curious, isn’t it? Maybe they should take notes.
The only time there was ever any significant expansion was when the system hit a fever pitch following 2022 and EMS was in full-on crisis mode. That’s the only moment anyone started talking seriously about expanding EMS capacity. And even then, what was glaringly absent from the equation? “Leadership” admitting they asked for it. All “Leadership” ever did was find creative ways to do more with less, and burn their staff more and more. That way they never had to have those awkward conversations, and fight that fight with the province. So, by the time the province finally came along with some much-needed funding to dampen the full blown EMS staffing crisis, it was nothing short of too little, too late.
So, where are we now? According to AHS, they claim 89% staffing in Calgary. Huh? Curious how they came up with that number. We’ve got questions, but odds are they don’t have answers—or at least not answers for us.
What we do know is that their staff—the very people AHS is all too happy to brag about improvements to, the same way they do to the media and government—are paying attention. And guess what? They trust the information we provide, because it comes with something AHS’s statements often lack: credibility. Need a reminder? Think back to their infamous declarations on New Year’s Eve or during the Calgary Stampede staffing scandals. Those statements didn’t exactly age well after we nuked them with the real statistics, did they?
Now AHS says they’re in the middle of a big hiring blitz. The headline looks but let’s look at the numbers—their numbers, no less. Here’s what’s actually happening, and it’s probably something you’ll want to notice too.
First, in the Calgary Zone, droves of people are quitting outright or retiring. Not “going casual.” Not “scaling back.” Just flat-out saying, “Nope. We want NOTHING to do with this disaster.”
Next, nearly 400 staff have dropped to casual since 2020. Yes, 400. And speaking of casuals, AHS has been hiring a ton of them too—though as everyone knows, casuals tend to avoid those pesky high-volume shifts like Friday and Saturday nights. Can you blame them? If you didn’t have to work those shifts, you wouldn’t either.
Maybe at one point, AHS had this genius plan to flood the field with casuals, thinking they’d eventually have to cover those dreaded shifts. Solid plan... if people weren’t bailing on their EMS careers faster than someone who realizes they’ve accidentally walked into a pyramid scheme pitch.
And now? Casuals get supremacy over full-timers, not because they’ve earned it, but thanks to "leadership’s" Olympic-level misstep. Way to go, team.
But you know what they haven’t been hiring? Full-time staff. Weird strategy for an organization supposedly in crisis recovery mode.
And here’s where it gets even stranger: we looked at the data on casual-to-full-time transitions. Those numbers just don’t add up when compared to the stories we hear from the front lines. If AHS is trying to fix the staffing crisis by promoting casuals into full-time roles, you’d think the numbers would reflect that. Spoiler alert: they don’t.
So, what gives, AHS? Maybe instead of creative accounting, try actual solutions. Just a thought. Context is important so we'll just leave this here, a FOIP request attained off the AHS FOIP reading room page and let you do the math.
Did you come to the realization we did? Just in case, the provincial WCB rates suggest that casual too full time transitions don't even cover the injury rate.
Oh, and let’s not forget the elephant in the room: Overtime. AHS conveniently glosses over how much they’re relying on their already burnt-out paramedics to work extra hours on their days off just to keep the wheels on. Remember the Calgary Stampede fiasco, where overtime shifts were the duct tape holding the system together? How about the August long weekend, when nearly 8% of the workforce was clocking overtime just to hit those mediocre staffing levels they’re now bragging about? That’s not a staffing solution—that’s a slow-motion implosion disguised as a win. Maybe instead of a “multifaceted marketing campaign,” AHS should launch a “please stop fleeing the profession” initiative. Just a thought.
Speaking of that “multifaceted marketing campaign,” and the rest of AHS's statement to the CTV article. AHS, your spin game is strong, but the cracks in the veneer are showing. Let’s unpack this corporate jazz hands routine, shall we?
First off, the claim that pending calls "do not imply" there were more than 35 red alerts is just adorable. The mental gymnastics required to separate “pending calls” and “red alerts” like they’re not both symptoms of the same problem deserves a gold medal. Let’s be clear: a pending call might not technically be a red alert but when you've got ambulances tied up for hours in hospitals... maybe consider those Ambulances you shut down because you don't have staff... and that backlog of calls growing like weeds... who exactly is benefiting from this distinction? Oh, right—“Leadership,” because it makes the PowerPoint presentations look less apocalyptic.
And then there’s the staffing flex. “89 per cent of shifts filled!” Wow, congrats on staffing less than 9 out of 10 ambulances. Never mind the pesky detail that you planned for 57,444 shifts in Calgary and still managed to leave over 6,000 Ambulances unstaffed making the math on that curiously not add up. That’s like saying your favourite restaurant filled 89 per cent of its reservations but forgot to seat an entire dinner rush. And let’s talk about those hiring numbers. Sure, you brought on 470 new staff in 2023 and another 296 in 2024. But how many walked out the door in the same time frame and how many did you hire as casual staff? Oh, right—you didn’t mention that. Let's not forget your hiring numbers are province wide and we've been talking about a Calgary problem.
The cherry on top is your “multifaceted marketing campaign.” A recruitment campaign targeting international audiences? Bold move. Nothing screams “we’ve got it together” like having to cast your net across oceans because local Paramedics won’t touch this mess with a ten-foot pole.
AHS’s statement is once again coming off like a lot of spin, and less like something to suggest we got this under control. Much like their staffing metrics, it’s only 89% convincing. Maybe next time, just acknowledge the problem and spare us the song and dance.
So, as AHS continues to play their corporate jazz hands, let’s remember: the numbers don't lie, but AHS’s spin certainly does seem dubious at best. They can claim "89% staffing" all they want, but the truth is in the overtime, the burnout, and the empty promises. While their "multifaceted marketing campaign" targets overseas talent we’re left with the same overworked crews, fighting to keep this sinking ship afloat. If you're tired of hearing the same old story and want to help us hold AHS accountable, consider donating even a small amount to our GiveSendGo at https://www.givesendgo.com/GC4M8.
Comments