By TERRY PUGH
Warman Fire Rescue (WFR) members are responding to an average of 1.25 emergency response calls every day.
In a report to the Warman City Council committee of the whole meeting on Monday, January 20, Warman Fire Chief Russ Austin said members of the volunteer fire department were dispatched to medical emergencies within the city of Warman 36 times during the month of December, 2024.
That brought the total number of medical calls within Warman to 349 for the 12-month period from January 1 to December 31, 2024.
WFR members also responded to 21 medical calls within the RM of Corman Park in the vicinity of Warman during that 12-month period, bringing the total number of medical calls to 370 overall.
While medical emergencies topped the list of calls for WFR members in 2024, they were also called to motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), structure fires, vehicle fires and wildfires, as well as lift-assists, rescues, and providing mutual aid assistance to neighbouring fire departments.
In total, 2024 saw WFR members called to 113 fires, 28 MVCs and 48 ‘alarm’ calls.
The combined total of all calls in 2024 for WFR was 559.
Statistics provided by WFR at the January 20 council meeting showed that the number of medical calls rose substantially from 2014 (187 calls) to 2021 (461 calls). The maximum was reached in 2021 during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Since then the number of medical calls has declined slightly every year (409 in 2022, 389 in 2023 and 270 in 2024). But, they still account for the vast majority of calls, and average more than one per day.
While the addition of a satellite ambulance station in nearby Martensville has likely taken some of the pressure off Warman and Martensville first responders, the high incidence of medical emergencies in the two cities highlights the need for improved medical care services, according to Warman City Councillor Doug Ramage.
“An average of 1.25 emergency medical calls within Warman every day is a lot,” said Ramage.
Councillor Marshall Seed noted that the actual number of medical emergencies is higher, because some dispatches go directly to Medavie Health Services West paramedics if an ambulance happens to be available.
“Warman Fire Rescue is not called to every medical incident,” said Seed. “But, unfortunately, we’re not able to get the statistics from the Saskatchewan Health Authority on the number of calls that an ambulance responds to here”.
Martensville Fire Department members are also busy. A report by Martensville Fire Chief Dean Brooman to a Martensville City Council meeting January 2 indicated that volunteer fire department responded to 421 emergency calls during the 12-month period from January 1 to December 31, 2024. Brooman said the majority”of those calls were medical incidents.
Warman and Martensville city officials are continuing to meet with Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill, as well as Social Services Minister and Warman MLA Terry Jenson on the issue of improving health care services in the region.