With a rise in the number of fires, accidents, and other emergencies across Chatham-Kent, some councilors are wondering if the municipality has enough ambulances.
Fire/EMS Chief Bob Crawford says most days, Chatham-Kent can handle the volume of calls, but having another ambulance would help on days with more calls than usual.
He says all of the municipality’s assets need to be taken into account, including ambulances in the fleet as well as paramedics.
“It’s quite complex, it isn’t just as simple as purchasing another vehicle, hiring staff to ride in it, and thinking that it’s going to immediately have a positive (impact,)” Crawford says. “It will have an affect, but we want to make sure we measure carefully so we can predict what’s going to happen.”
Crawford says ambulances cross borders to other municipalities, as dispatched by an Ontario-wide service.
If Chatham-Kent does acquire another ambulance, it could cost around $1-million.
