A Moment with the Mayor: Emergency medical services

One of the services we all depend on and hope we only need once an emergency arises is emergency medical services (EMS). Depending on where you live in the city or around us, you will see trained professionals who answer the call for help. These individuals work for private or public ambulance providers who serve us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

EMS staff encounter calls for assistance, medical emergencies, motor vehicle and industrial incidents, medical transfers and issues of all sorts. I truly believe that no two shifts that they serve are the same. These great fields deal with a variety of situations and can be required to travel great distances all in one shift. They often share a common location to eat, rest and decompress during and after their respective shifts. They can be identified by the vehicle they drive and the safety gear that they wear. These dedicated people come from all walks of life, and we’re grateful and truly indebted to their choice of career as they serve our whole community.

As a border city, Lloydminster is currently served by two EMS providers, Medavie and WPD Ambulance. Other areas around Lloydminster may be served by either of these providers or their local EMS services if they have one. The dispatching of EMS services falls to the respective health authority and provincial process. This can offer challenges as we often see ambulances travelling to and from the larger health care facility, typically in either Saskatoon or Edmonton. 

We are fortunate to have STARS and the provincial air ambulance service accessible in Lloydminster. With a local team effort and multiple partners, the STARS landing pad became a reality. The Lloydminster airport offers 24 hours a day access to ambulances to transport patients as required via air ambulance. I would like to offer a big thank you to those responding each and every day the call for help or assistance is made.

Mayor Gerald S. Aalbers
City of Lloydminster