Union sounds alarm over gaps in ambulance service in Thompson

Dave Baxter · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 07, 2025 4:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The caput of a Manitoba firefighters national says connection has breached down betwixt the national and the metropolis of Thompson, and helium believes that is keeping ambulances disconnected the streets, and putting nationalist information and lives astatine risk. 

"Public information should beryllium the fig 1 concern of everybody, it should beryllium the fig 1 concern of the mayor, the fig 1 concern of council," Thompson Professional Firefighters Association President Eric Campbell said. 

On June 29, the national posted connected its Facebook leafage that Thompson Fire & Emergency Services would not beryllium capable to unit either of its two ambulances betwixt 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., owed to what they said was a "critical" staffing situation.

In a 2nd station connected July 3, the national erstwhile again said the section would not beryllium capable to tally its two ambulances, and that lone 1 ambulance would beryllium disposable that time betwixt 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The national said Shared Health EMS did person 1 ambulance staffed successful Thompson during those days, but added they bash not judge that's capable to adequately service the city. 

"It is not a substance of if calamity strikes arsenic a effect of this, it's a substance of when," the national posted. "For a metropolis with arsenic precocious of a request for EMS services arsenic Thompson, 1 staffed ambulance during this clip is obscurity adjacent adequate."

Ambulance services moved to Shared Health

According to Campbell, issues with ambulance services successful Thompson person been brewing for years, and presently the section lone has 10 of the department's 24 jobs filled. 

"The work is successful request of a gigantic overhaul, and we've been preaching that, saying that this exemplary is not sustainable," helium said. 

"The occupation that we look successful Thompson is that wages are importantly little than immoderate different work successful the state that provides the aforesaid benignant of service. It makes it truly pugnacious to enlistee radical and clasp people."

But helium said those issues person been amplified since past fall, erstwhile the metropolis announced it would beryllium handing implicit ambulance services successful the metropolis to Shared Health successful February, aft provincial underfunding and staffing shortages stretched resources. 

As of Feb. 1, ambulance services successful Thompson person technically been a Shared Health responsibility, but Campbell said Shared Health lone has 1 disposable ambulance successful Thompson, truthful section occurrence department still runs its 2 ambulances successful a metropolis that has 1 of the highest exigency telephone volumes per capita in Canada. 

According to Shared Health, conscionable implicit 9,000 calls were answered by the city's exigency section successful the 2023-24 fiscal year.

"We person ever thought based connected our acquisition and telephone volumes we request 3 full-time ambulances moving time and nighttime for a metropolis with arsenic precocious of a request for exigency services arsenic Thompson," helium said. 

Campbell fears staffing issues volition proceed to support ambulances disconnected the road. 

He said helium is besides disquieted astir the unit who marque up the department, arsenic debased staffing levels are forcing immoderate to enactment shifts sometimes arsenic agelong arsenic 38 hours astatine a time.  

"People are becoming physically and mentally exhausted. This occupation is mentally trying astatine the champion of times and it's not similar we are astatine a dilatory place, we are perpetually busy, truthful that's a sedate concern."

Campbell is present asking for Thompson's politician and metropolis assembly to enactment with the national to travel up with a caller agreement, and helium hopes that yet exigency services successful Thompson tin beryllium returned to being the sole work of the department. 

"We person been lobbying to get the ambulance work back," Campbell said. "We request a constituent blank connection arsenic to what the program is, and what we are doing moving forward."

Not a metropolis issue: Mayor

Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook argued immoderate issues with exigency services successful Thompson should beryllium directed to Shared Health archetypal and not the city. 

"It's each Shared Health for ambulance services, it's nary longer the City of Thompson," Smook said. "And those posts from the national are making it dependable similar we're letting the citizens down. 

"The ambulance is not the City of Thompson's issue, and to accidental that the politician and assembly is not doing thing is not fair."

Smook says the statement with Shared Health to tally ambulance services volition tally retired astatine the extremity of July, and said the metropolis volition proceed discussions with the state and Shared Health connected however to proceed aft that deadline passes. 

Both the state and Shared Health confirmed past week they person been successful discussions with the City of Thompson arsenic they look to found a caller exemplary for ambulance services successful the city. 

But Campbell is besides accusing the metropolis of keeping the national retired of discussions regarding the aboriginal of exigency services successful Thompson. 

"We've been trying to travel to the table," helium said. "We've been trying to beryllium portion of the solution, but unluckily erstwhile it comes to being privy to these meetings we are either ignored completely, oregon told no.

"I deliberation for america to beryllium wholly near successful the acheronian connected these matters is unacceptable, and wholly inappropriate."