Is the Denbigh ambulance service doomed this time around?

Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2016

In 2008, politicians in Lennox and Addington (L&A) County were faced with the option of closing the Denbigh Ambulance Service and re-allocating resources to the south end of the county to satisfy an ever-increasing demand. At that time they resisted.

In 2012 the same issue was before Council and that time they cut the Denbigh service in half, opening a new base in Loyalist Township and allocating one of the Denbigh shifts to the new base.

Now, County staff recommend making Loyalist a 24-hour operation, and closing Denbigh. They also propose to start up a service in Stone Mills within a year or two. The arguments are the same now as they were in 2012.

The Denbigh ambulance was called out 190 times last year. Meanwhile there were 542 calls for service from Loyalist Township during the 12 hours a day when the Loyalist base was closed. On one level moving the shift looks like a better allocation of limited resources.

There are other factors, however. Those night calls in Loyalist were handled mostly by nearby Kingston-based paramedics from the Frontenac County service (80%) or from L&A paramedics in Napanee. The service would be quicker if they came from Loyalist, by a matter of minutes.

If there were no Denbigh service, most of those 190 Denbigh calls would be answered by paramedics stationed in Northbrook (20 minutes from Denbigh), unless they are out on standby somewhere or on a call of their own. In those cases the ambulance will need to come from Renfrew or Bancroft (40 minutes away) or the Frontenac base in Robertsville (60 minutes away).

The time factor is dramatically different

Moving the shift would save five minutes or so in the response time for 542 calls to Loyalist, but could increase the response time by 30 to 75 minutes for calls in the large Denbigh catchment area.

Which is more important?

Once again, as happened in 2008 and 2011, municipal politicians are faced with these kinds of life and death decisions that should never be forced on politicians at this level.

Another factor is at play in the staff report.

Closing the Denbigh base is being proposed as the first link in a chain of changes that would result in improved service in Loyalist Township, Stone Mills, and the City of Napanee. Politicians from all three of those jurisdictions would be working against the individual interests of their own constituents if they support the Denbigh service over these enhancements.

Asking a politician to work against the interests of their constituents, particularly where emergency services are concerned, is an easy sell. Yet that is what Addington Highlands Reeve Hogg and Deputy Reeve Yanch are faced with doing this week. The first step will be to play for time by seeking a deferral, and even if that works it is hard to see what the next step will be.

In order to make an impression, there needs to be community support from Denbigh for Hogg and Yanch when they make their pitch for the Denbigh service to L&A County Council.

The activists from Denbigh who led the public fight the last time around will likely be the same people who will have to come out this time.

Interestingly enough, these are the same people who have been leading a bitter and sometimes personal fight against Addington Highlands Council when it comes to wind turbine proposals from NextEra and RES Canada.

That fight has been focussed on Hogg and Yanch in particular and is by no means over.

Different issues result in different sets of allies and enemies.