The Martensville fire hall is now serving as a temporary base for a Medavie Health Services West ambulance and two-person paramedic crew.
A permanent base is slated to begin construction in the 700 block of Centennial Drive North in Martensville in the near future. The permanent base is expected to be in operation by early September, 2022.
Martensville Fire Chief Kurtis Dyck confirmed that the first official day of operations for the fire hall as an ambulance base was Wednesday, December 1.
“As of today, the fire hall is serving as a temporary base for an ambulance serving the north end of Saskatoon as well as the communities north of the city,” said Dyck in an interview December 1. “They’ve had an ambulance crew floating in Martensville for most of November to respond to calls in the area, but there wasn’t a designated base until today.”
Medavie Health Services West Chief Operating Officer Gerry Schriemer said an ambulance crew was “geo-posted” in the Martensville area starting November 8.
“When our deployment policies were at a level where we could send a crew out,we did so,” said Schriemer. “Even though the government is funding a 12-hour car to help assist with this, it doesn’t matter the time of day, if we have the resources, we will send a crew.
“For November, they probably averaged five to seven hours in the Martensville area during a 24-hour period.”
Schriemer said ambulance crews have responded to calls in Martensville, Warman and other communities, including Borden while geo-posted in Martensville during November.
“The system is working,” said Schriemer. “The biggest challenge will be keeping an ambulance in the area as much as possible. And that will depend on call volume.”
Schriemer said last year paramedic crews responded to over 32,000 calls, and he’s expecting that number to top 35,000 this year.
Schriemer said most medical calls occur between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. There are 15 transport ambulances in service between those hours, with fewer units operating between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.
The availability of an ambulance in Martensville will vary.
Schriemer said when four “clear” ambulances are available (units that are not actively caring for patients or responding to a call) , one of them will be stationed in Martensville, leaving three clear ambulances in Saskatoon.
“Sometimes the ambulance crew was out in the Martensville area for a couple of hours at a stretch when they were geo-posted,” said Schriemer. “Now that we’re utilizing the fire hall till our base is constructed, the crew will stay out there till they get pulled in during a surge of calls in Saskatoon or if there is a call in their response area.
“Once another fourth ambulance is clear, it will be posted out to Martensville.”
Having an ambulance based in Martensville will “definitely” improve response times for calls in Martensville, Warman, Dalmeny, Osler, Langham and surrounding rural areas, according to Dyck.
“It’s not like we have a permanent ambulance service in Martensville,” said Dyck. “But it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
He said people should always call 911 in a serious medical emergency. They should not go to the fire hall expecting to find an ambulance.
“It’s hit and miss,” he said. “Its not there all the time. It is serving many communities, including Saskatoon.”
Dyck noted volunteer First Responders will still be called to medical emergencies when an ambulance is not able to respond right away. They’ll also be called to provide assistance in serious medical emergencies like cardiac arrests or choking situations.”
“It’s not going to eliminate our medical calls,” said Dyck. “But it will reduce them.”
He noted that the presence of the ambulance crew in the area during the month of November has already helped ease the workload of First Responders.
“There were several instances where an ambulance was available right away, and First Responders were not called in,” he said.
Dyck said the number of medical calls Martensville Fire Department First Responders have attended has been steadily rising.
“This past year was our busiest one ever,” said Dyck. “We had over 420 calls, with medical emergencies accounting for about 300 of those.”
Warman Fire Rescue (WFR) has also been busier than ever this year. Between January 1 and October 31, WFR members responded to 492 emergency calls, with 392 of those requiring medical assistance.
Dyck said there have been numerous occasions when multiple emergency calls come in close together. He added that COVID-19 has created additional challenges.
Dyck said Martensville firefighters are excited to welcome the Medavie West paramedics to their hall.
“It will help take some of the pressure of not only our First Responders, but also those in other communities,” he said.
The Martensville Fire Department has arranged its fleet inside the building to ensure both the ambulance and the fire trucks are able to have clear access at all times. The ambulance crew is able to use the fire hall facilities between calls.
In addition to its main building on Melville Street in Saskatoon, Medavie has satellite ambulance bases in on Taylor Street East, Sutherland, 22nd Street at Avenue H, and Arthur Rose Avenue at 71st Street. New satellite bases are in the late planning stages for Martensville and for the Kensington neighbourhood of Saskatoon.