
If AHS EMS were a dating profile, it’d scream, “Emotionally unavailable and loves to ghost.” Chronic staffing shortages, toxic work culture, with management that couldn’t lead a conga line let alone a Paramedic team. That’s the state of Alberta’s EMS. Compare that to fire-based EMS—where Paramedics find camaraderie, purpose, and actual respect—and it’s no wonder the best talent is fleeing AHS faster than you can say, “mandatory overtime.”
The numbers don’t lie (unlike every AHS press release). In 2024, AHS funded enough hours for 537 ambulances a day but actually staffed only 457— then add in the staggering $32 million overtime bill. With this overtime staffing, did the 80 ambulances missing everyday shrink to 60… we just don’t know. A better question might be, “As the number of Ambulances staffed with regular duty Paramedics continues to shrink, how high could the OT bill go? How long before OT accounts for half the staff on duty and the system collapses?” We had a call yesterday (as yet unconfirmed) that 30% of the Calgary Zone Southgate Station day shift Ambulances were staffed with 12 Paramedics on OT.
This isn’t just bad; it’s embarrassing. What a crushing defeat for EMS Leadership whose priorities are so out of sync with frontline realities that dozens of full-time Paramedics are either dropping to casual status or leaving entirely. While AHS Communications plays their Public Relations fiddle, their Bosses are watching Alberta's Emergency Medical System burn to the ground. Where are the people ultimately responsible? When will they step up... because this System won’t fix itself.
If you’re with us in this fight and want to help keep the pressure on, consider supporting our work here: https://www.givesendgo.com/GC4M8. Let’s make sure the spotlight stays right where it belongs.
It’s never been easy to keep great Paramedics from moving on to STARS or Fire Departments. For those who can do both, sincere kudos. Those of us who (so far) have never been interested in serving with other departments think we might be crazy. Why do we keep working in this dysfunctional full-time EMS nightmare? So forgive us if we seem to be enjoying this recent poll on our Instagram page a little too much.

The numbers we have from FOIP tell a grim story.
In 2022, AHS EMS funded 2,152,510 ambulance hours but managed to staff only 1,818,765 of those. This gap persisted in 2023 and 2024, where funding increased to 2,351,276 hours but staffing fell short at 2,002,877 hours.
Meanwhile, fire-based EMS systems—long the backbone of emergency response across North America—continue to demonstrate that when you treat Paramedics as valued members of a team, rather than cogs in a dysfunctional machine, you don’t just staff ambulances; you build careers.
In 2024, integrated Fire/EMS funded 296,884 ambulance hours through their various EMS contracts. Those same services actually delivered 285,515 ambulance hours. That's correct, Alberta Fire-based EMS delivered 96% of their funded hours, proving what happens when you treat your staff like people, not disposable parts.

As David Givot, Esq. aptly notes in his article "Fire Versus Private EMS", it’s not about the patch on the arm but the commitment to patient care and provider well-being. And commitment is something AHS EMS seems to lack, driving its talent into the arms of fire departments, where paramedics find not just better conditions but also a better future.
The stats back it up. Fire-based EMS dominates as the largest provider of EMS in the U.S., with 40% of agencies operating under fire departments, as Gary Ludwig explains in "EMS: Study Proves Fire Service Is Top EMS Provider in U.S.". Fire departments inherently prioritize a culture of respect and professional growth, creating an environment where Paramedics are not only retained, they excel. Contrast that with AHS EMS, where “funded hours” are little more than wishful thinking and you can start to see why Paramedics are jumping ship. Leadership matters and AHS EMS has repeatedly shown that its priorities lie anywhere but with its frontline staff.
Here are the facts:

Stats show a mere 4% drop from funded to actual time on task. It's possible that because AHS EMS leadership is kept far away from Fire/EMS departments that they're successful. Ask AHS upper management to explain why their 'strategic brilliance' comes up short.
Here’s the kicker: Fire/EMS Departments are mostly staffing their ambulances with full-time Paramedics. Meanwhile, AHS EMS has full-timers and a large number of casual staff. Why? Because an alarming number of full-time paramedics at AHS EMS have taken one look at the evolving gong show and decided, “NOPE”, just before dropping to casual.
Still skeptical? Check out these blog posts to witness the scale of this phenomenon:
Those Paramedics who bailed to casual status now get to cherry-pick their shifts—and guess what? Monday to Friday day shifts are popular but nights/weekends... not so much. That $32M in overtime, let's break it down. Average Paramedic wage about $40 an hour. Double that for overtime for 12 hour shifts. Yes, we know, not every shift is 12 hours, but we’re doing math, not magic. That lands us with approximately 32K shifts filled via overtime. Oh and incase you missed it here is our post last week on overtime! https://www.wheresmyambulance.com/post/chasing-the-overtime-high-ahs-ems-s-never-ending-overtime-bender
Two Paramedics per ambulance means they could cover hours for 16K ambulance shifts. Divide that across the days of the year and in a perfect world you’re looking at better than 30 ambulances a day funded purely by overtime. However, any assumption that AHS EMS would spend the money that wisely is foolish. Look at their history. Where would you suspect most of that OT dough would go? I'd suggest a substantial portion went to the management team. Oh.... scandal again? Wouldn't be a surprise at all.
The situation doesn’t just look bad—it’s like a slow-motion train wreck you can’t stop watching. And the more you dig, the worse it gets. But don’t worry—AHS has it all under control, right? Sure they do. Let's go back to how Fire/EMS treats their staff compared to AHS EMS.
Fire departments really do support their teams. Fire halls are designed with comfort and camaraderie in mind: seating, culinary and workout spaces have evolved to help build strong, capable staff. It’s all part of a culture that values its people and understands that a well-trained, well-supported firefighter is better at their job. Contrast that with AHS EMS, where leadership resembles those who managed competitors in the movie Gladiator II.
Take the great chair heist, for instance. Paramedics’ recliners - rare sanctuaries of comfort during grueling shifts—were swept away, replaced with 'hospital patient-only' chairs for the primary reason that they were 'easy to clean'. Why not just have Paramedics sit on wooden grates and burn them monthly? A few AHS EMS Executive Directors ( the abolishment of titles like 'Chief' or 'Captain' was purposeful) stood there, quietly wringing their hands, blaming Big AHS bureaucrats for the debacle but doing nothing to protect their staff. In Alberta, hospital-centric senior managers win every time.
This would never fly in a Fire Department. Leadership there would storm the gates before letting anyone erode their firefighter identity and tradition. At AHS EMS, it’s open season. AHS is DEI heaven, where merit plays no part in promotion right to the top of the shitpile.
Whether it’s chairs, schedules, or the simple dignity of being treated like professionals, anyone with a Royal Road degree can waltz in and make a mess of whatever they touch. And should a paramedic dare to sneeze in a way that could be misconstrued by a patient? Investigation. Toxic. As. Hell. It’s like management has created a work culture designed to see how far they can push their staff before they break—then act surprised when they do.
AHS EMS leadership, take a good, hard look—these are your medics sounding the alarm.
I feel like I'm wasting my time writing this but many of the people who once proudly served are now left questioning why they should stick around in a system that treats them like disposable assets. Every empty shift, every resignation, every "casual by necessity" tells the same story: the problem isn’t the Paramedics—it’s the leadership.
The cracks in this system are growing to chasms. Whether it’s the mismanagement of staffing, failure to prioritize frontline well-being or the outright indifference to the realities of paramedic life, the problem is obvious: change isn’t optional—it’s long overdue.
We’re done offering polite suggestions or trying to 'work together'. We’re going to keep exposing the truth, pushing for more transparancy and accountability and demanding better treatment for the medics still holding the line.
If any of you reading this value the work we’re doing, drop a donation to help keep the momentum going at: https://www.givesendgo.com/GC4M8.
Together, we’ll keep the pressure on—because Albertans deserve Better EMS.
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