The number one issue that firefighters tell me about, which could save a vast amount of money for taxpayers: lift assistance.
Currently, if someone falls down and can’t get back to their feet, they tend to call the fire department instead of Medavie Ambulance. They do this because it is free to call the fire department, where the ambulance company would charge them for the same call.
What ended up happening over 1700 times last year is that a full fire crew would roll out to an address to come in and assist someone to their feet, only to leave again. There are many addresses where these fire crews have responded multiple times to provide this assistance. This is a massive cost for a very small service in the end.
The service is needed to help people age in place and maintain quality of life, but it shouldn’t come at such an extensive cost to our city’s taxpayers. I propose we create two two-person teams, one on the east and one on the west. Each team would be equipped with a small SUV, and they would respond to lift assist calls as they come in.
This team will not have to be as heavily trained as our front-line firefighters but they will provide a service which helps the readiness of our existing fire crews for any given situation. This single action could save an enormous amount of money each year in our fire budget.
This program would help reduce the impact of cost on taxpayers throughout our city while reducing the wear and tear on our most valuable fire assets – the fire trucks themselves. The less we needlessly drive these heavy vehicles around the city, the better. Lower operating costs and more longevity will be the result.