Important Update

What does a third-party review say about Alberta’s EMS benchmark?

—Justin Jaeger, President of Spruce Grove Fire Fighters Local 3021

For months, municipalities across Alberta have been asked to make significant decisions about the future of integrated Fire-EMS services.

Those decisions were not based on opinion. They were based largely on a provincial funding benchmark developed by Emergency Health Services-Alberta (EHS-A). Communities were told that benchmark represented the cost of delivering ambulance services and, in many cases, were asked to decide whether they could afford to continue operating their integrated models.

Now, the Province has announced that same benchmark will undergo an independent third-party review.

That announcement deserves attention, not because it tells us the benchmark is right or wrong, but because it recognizes that the methodology itself is important enough to warrant independent scrutiny.

According to a letter from Minister Adriana LaGrange’s office sent on July 28th to municipalities and IAFF-AB, the review will examine whether the benchmark methodology is transparent, evidence-informed, defensible, and based on the best available information. Importantly, the review is not limited to costing alone. It will also consider operational, workforce, service-level, and financial factors that influence sustainable ambulance service delivery.

Those are not minor details.

Those are the very issues firefighters, paramedics, municipalities, and other stakeholders have been raising throughout this process. The fact that the Province has now directed an independent review of those very factors makes this announcement particularly significant.

The Province has also invited stakeholders, including IAFF-Alberta, to participate directly in the review and contribute operational knowledge and experience to help the independent reviewer understand the realities of integrated Fire-EMS service delivery. Including frontline firefighters and paramedics in the review is essential. They understand the operational realities of integrated Fire-EMS better than anyone because they experience them every day.

That is a positive step, and one that should strengthen public confidence in whatever conclusions ultimately emerge.

Independent reviews exist for a reason. They build confidence that important public decisions are being made using information that is transparent, objective, and capable of withstanding independent examination.

For Spruce Grove, however, this review raises an important question.

If the benchmark is important enough to undergo an independent assessment today, then it is reasonable to ask whether municipalities had the benefit of the best available information when they made decisions that could permanently reshape emergency services.

This is not about assigning blame.

City Council made its decision using the information available at the time. Like every affected municipality, it relied on the information and benchmark methodology provided through the provincial process, and made what it believed was the most responsible decision for taxpayers and emergency services. For many municipalities, including Spruce Grove, the benchmark became one of the primary financial assumptions used to determine whether an integrated Fire-EMS model could be sustained.

But circumstances have continued to evolve. The Province paused its procurement process. It committed to continue working with affected municipalities. Now it has directed an independent review of one of the key tools used to inform those same municipal decisions. Taken together, those developments suggest this conversation is still evolving.

That is why the City of Spruce Grove’s recent request to delay implementation until November 1 is an encouraging and responsible step. It recognizes that the findings of the independent review may provide important context before a permanent transition occurs. That approach reflects an important principle: when new evidence becomes available, decision-makers should have the opportunity to consider it before implementing irreversible change.

Good governance is not measured by whether a decision is revisited.

Good governance is measured by whether decision-makers are willing to consider new information when it becomes available.

Throughout this discussion, one point has remained remarkably consistent.

Mayor Jeff Acker described Spruce Grove’s integrated Fire-EMS system as “second to none.”

I agree.

Our integrated model has served this community for more than two decades. It has been built through years of shared training, coordinated emergency response, and operational experience.

If an independent review confirms that the benchmark accurately reflects those realities, everyone will benefit from that clarity.

If it identifies opportunities to improve the methodology or better account for operational realities, municipalities deserve the opportunity to understand what those findings mean before making irreversible decisions.

That is not about resisting change.

It is about ensuring that decisions affecting emergency medical care are based on the strongest evidence available.

The Province has chosen to ask an independent third party an important question about Alberta’s EMS benchmark.

Independent reviews are commissioned because governments recognize the importance of getting major decisions right. If the Province believes the EHS-A benchmark deserves that level of scrutiny, then municipalities, and the residents they serve, deserve the opportunity to understand the results before closing the book on emergency response systems that have protected their communities for decades. When that answer arrives, our community deserves the opportunity to carefully consider what it means for Spruce Grove before writing the final chapter on a system that local leaders themselves have described as “second to none.”

This open letter was published in July 2026, after the Province paused its restructuring plans and before the announcement of the independent benchmark review. It is preserved here for the record.

Why is Spruce Grove walking away from an EMS system that has worked for decades? Recent developments raise an important question: What if the final decision has not been made yet?

—Justin Jaeger, President of Spruce Grove Fire Fighters Local 3021

When you call 911 for help, are you thinking about whether the provincial or municipal government is funding the ambulance? Or, are you expecting that the right people arrive quickly and work together seamlessly?

More likely, you’re focused on getting help quickly, having trained professionals work together seamlessly and getting the care you need when you need it. That’s exactly what Spruce Grove’s integrated Fire-EMS system has provided for over 20 years.

An Integrated Fire-EMS system means that the same firefighters who respond to fires, are also licensed paramedics, allowing one coordinated team to manage emergencies from the moment they arrive.

This system isn’t just a funding model, it is a better way to deliver emergency services. It’s what allows firefighters and paramedics to respond as one coordinated team during medical emergencies, vehicle collisions and countless other emergencies. That system has been built through years of shared training, established procedures and working side by side when seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

When an ambulance is already responding elsewhere, a Spruce Grove fire engine arrives on scene before the ambulance, allowing care to begin immediately while additional resources are still on the way. That ability to start treatment without delay is one of the defining strengths of an integrated Fire-EMS system.

But now, this decades old system is at risk of being dismantled.

In March, the Provincial government proposed restructuring emergency services in seven Alberta communities, creating uncertainty about the future of emergency care. With limited information and significant financial uncertainty, municipal leaders across Alberta were forced to make a difficult decision. Spruce Grove was no exception.

When our Council voted to divest our integrated ambulance service in May, elected leaders were clear the decision was not taken lightly. They expressed respect for firefighters and paramedics and their commitment to doing what they believed was best for our community.

In fact, during Council’s deliberations, Mayor Jeff Acker described Spruce Grove’s integrated Fire-EMS service as “second to none.” I agree. That shared recognition is precisely why this conversation matters. If we all agree we have built an exceptional emergency response system, then we should make every reasonable effort to preserve it before making permanent changes.

No one can fault Council for making a difficult decision based on the information available in May. But when the circumstances change, good governance means being willing to revisit earlier decisions.

After thousands of Albertans, municipal leaders and first responders spoke up about the risk of losing integrated emergency response, the Province paused its restructuring plans and committed to working with affected municipalities on a long-term solution through 2028-2029. That change in circumstances alone is significant. When circumstances change, it is reasonable to ask whether every available option has been fully explored before implementing a permanent transition.

Spruce Grove has compelling operational evidence to contribute to the conversation. One of the strongest examples is workforce stability. Publicly available information obtained through FOIP/ATIA requests has identified system-wide challenges, including recruitment and retention pressures, significant overtime expenditures, temporary reductions in Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage, and occasional ambulance closures due to staffing shortages.

By comparison, Spruce Grove Fire Services has maintained continuous ALS ambulance coverage throughout its participation in the provincial system, and reports 99.99% operational availability since 2008. Those measurable outcomes demonstrate the type of operational evidence the Province has indicated it is willing to consider when evaluating funding flexibility.

Spruce Grove still has an opportunity, not simply to revisit a previous decision, but to demonstrate why its integrated Fire-EMS model deserves consideration as the Province continues working with affected municipalities on a long-term funding solution. Opportunities to revisit major public policy decisions are rare. When they arise, they deserve to be fully explored.

We can continue down the path of dismantling a system that has protected our community for decades. Or we can sit down with the Provincial government and determine whether there’s a path to preserving the integrated model our residents know, trust, and rely on.

Others have already shown that the path exists. Elected leaders in St. Albert, Red Deer, and Strathcona County all voted to preserve their integrated systems. Their decisions didn’t drain their municipal resources, throw budgets out of balance or dramatically raise taxes, either. Each of these municipalities examined the same Provincial proposal and concluded there was sufficient value in preserving their integrated systems.

This conversation is ultimately about how emergency services are delivered, not about preserving positions. Our priority is preserving the level of service residents have relied on for decades.

We are not speaking up because we refuse to accept change. We are not ignoring the financial realities that municipalities must consider. Those concerns deserve thoughtful discussion. But so does the value of maintaining an integrated emergency response system that has protected this community for decades. This isn’t an experimental model. It is the emergency response system that has served Spruce Grove residents for more than two decades.

The question is no longer whether Spruce Grove had enough information in May. The question is whether, with new information now available, we are willing to explore every reasonable opportunity before permanently changing how emergency care is delivered in our community. If there is even a possibility that a proven emergency response model can be preserved through further discussion and evidence-based advocacy, don’t our residents deserve that effort?

This earlier open letter was published in May 2026, before the Province paused its restructuring plans. It is preserved here for the record.

Why the Province's recent decision gives Spruce Grove an opportunity to revisit the future of integrated Fire-EMS.

When you call 911, you probably aren't thinking about whether the ambulance is funded by the Province or the City.

You are expecting the right people to arrive quickly, work together seamlessly, and provide the care you need.

For more than 20 years, that is exactly what Spruce Grove's integrated Fire-EMS system has done.

An integrated Fire-EMS system means the same firefighters who respond to fires are also licensed paramedics. They train together, respond together, and work as one coordinated team from the moment they arrive. When an ambulance is already committed elsewhere, firefighter-paramedics can begin advanced patient care immediately while additional resources are on the way.

It's a model that has protected our community for decades.

Earlier this year, the Province proposed major changes to EMS delivery in seven Alberta communities. Faced with uncertainty and significant financial questions, Council made the difficult decision to move away from our integrated ambulance service.

No one can fault Council for making that decision based on the information available at the time.

But circumstances have changed.

After thousands of Albertans, municipal leaders, and first responders spoke up, the Province paused its restructuring plans and committed to working with municipalities on a long-term solution through 2028–2029.

That means Spruce Grove has another opportunity.

We can continue dismantling a system that has served our community well for over two decades, or we can work with the Province to determine whether there is a path to preserving the integrated model our residents know and trust.

Other municipalities, including St. Albert, Red Deer, and Strathcona County, reviewed the same Provincial proposal and chose to preserve their integrated Fire-EMS systems while discussions continue.

This conversation is about preserving a proven emergency response model. Protecting the dedicated professionals who deliver that service is naturally part of that conversation, but our primary focus is ensuring residents continue to receive the highest level of coordinated emergency care possible.

It is also important to be clear about what this conversation is not about. This is not a criticism of the dedicated paramedics who work for Emergency Health Services or any other ambulance provider. We have tremendous respect for our colleagues across the province and the important work they do every day under often challenging circumstances. They are working in a system that has faced persistent resource and response-time challenges across Alberta.

We believe communities shouldn't be forced to choose between supporting the professionals who serve them and maintaining the emergency response model that has proven itself over decades. We believe both are worth protecting.

Regardless of the patch on our shoulder, everyone who responds to a 9-1-1 call shares the same goal: providing the best possible care to Albertans.

Our concern is with how the emergency response system is designed and governed, not with the professionals working within it. Despite numerous initiatives over the years, many of the systemic challenges affecting EMS remain unresolved. We believe integrated Fire-EMS provides the greatest flexibility, coordination, and resilience for our community, and it is that proven model we are asking Council to fully explore before making permanent changes.

The City estimated that maintaining integrated EMS would cost the average household approximately $6 per month. Whether that investment is worthwhile is ultimately a decision for our community, but we believe it deserves an open and informed discussion — especially now that the Province has reopened the door to finding a long-term solution.

This is not about refusing change.

It is about making sure every reasonable option is explored before permanently dismantling a system that has protected Spruce Grove families for more than twenty years.

My members and I believe Spruce Grove residents deserve every reasonable opportunity to preserve a proven emergency response model before permanent changes are made.