Hyggen says Council needs more information over EHS agreement
Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen says discussions are still to be had with Alberta Emergency Health Services in reference to a new contract involving the integrated Fire and EMS model.
EHS gave the city notice on March 13th that they would have to agree to continue funding above benchmark costs in the new agreement and had until March 31st to make a decision. Since City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, that deadline has been moved up twice…now to May 31st.
However, Hyggen says it’s still difficult to determine the next steps with short notice, especially when EHS has not provided specific dollar figures.
If the city decides to move away from covering additional costs than those stipulated by EHS, there will be a procurement process to secure a new provider. Lethbridge Firefighters warn that decision could bring great risk to community safety.
The current Fire and EMS system has been in place for over a hundred years.