The Slave Lake ambulance service is “out of cash,” a joint meeting of town and M.D. councils heard on Dec. 8. As such, the service is asking the town for a loan of $197,000 to get it through to the end of the year.
The amount matches a contribution already made by the M.D. back in October.
Ambulance society chair Lorne Larson explained the situation in a subsequent interview that it is not a matter of cost overruns. Expenditures are in line with the budget.
“We experienced a downturn in call volume several months ago,” he says, “and as a result revenue goes down.”
Larson says the situation is a new one and he’s not sure why it’s happened.
“Maybe it’s simply an indication of less people working and getting hurt,” he says.
But the fact remains the service can’t meet its payroll and needs the help. Larson says funding responsibility for all ambulance services goes over to the province as of Apr. 1 of next year.
“All indications are things are going to be fine,” Larson says of the transition. “They’re increasing the base funding. Our challenge is to get from now to then.” Town council made no decision on the loan at the meeting. However, both councils requested the following: an audit of the ambulance society’s finances, an operational analysis of the ambulance service and a budget for 2009.
If the loan is granted, Larson says he hopes the ambulance society would be able to pay it back, but that depends on the revenue situation. Larson points out that of all the essential services offered in the two municipalities, ambulance is the only one that depends on the revenue it generates.
“We don’t expect the fire department or the police department to make money,” he says. “It puts the ambulance service in the position of competing,” with other activities people could be spending their money on. Or in this case, that the town and M.D. could be spending their money on.
Westlock
In other ambulance news, M.D. council heard from the Westlock ambulance people at its Dec. 10 meeting. Ambulance service secretary Darrell Garceau said the Town of Westlock is preparing to be the operator of the service under contract with the provincial government as of next Apr. 1. What’s coming is a “borderless system” controlled from a central dispatch point, in which Westlock ambulances could be called into service well outside their current service boundaries. “But they say service won’t be compromised,” he said.
Nothing Garceau said indicated that the service needed extra cash to get through the end of the year. Not that there aren’t some financial challenges. He said the service carries $114,000 in uncollected debt at the moment. Then there’s the misuse of ambulance services, which ties up personnel and equipment.
“We’re often transferring people that could easily be transported by a family member,” he says. “Or a cab. It’s always been a problem and it has to be remedied.” Councillor Brian Rosche asked what will happen under the post-Apr. 1 regime if the service makes a profit. What happens to the money?
“The province hasn’t addressed that,” Garceau said. “We understand the service provider has to cover a shortfall; maybe it would be able to keep a surplus.”
The Westlock ambulance has three paramedics and is looking for a fourth. It has three ambulances - the third is in reserve and manned by volunteers. Westlock provides ambulance services to the southern end of the M.D. of Lesser Slave River.

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