Residents in River Park South are speaking out after learning they’re losing their only neighbourhood ambulance.
Global News has learned Winnipeg’s Station 26 ambulance will be heading to the North End — which means the only available paramedics in that Dakota Ave. station will be Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Services-trained.
The city has added 24 hour teams to the Osborne station and points to three other service points on St. Mary’s Road, Sage Creek Boulevard, and Lilac Street that will now provide coverage for River Park South.
On Thursday, a WFPS official said the city is confident they aren’t hurting the community — in fact, they believe the loss of the only vehicle will enhance service.
“They’re actually not losing ambulance coverage,” Ryan Smeath, Assistant Chief of Paramedic Operations said. “We’re actually accentuating the services they have.”
“We’re providing better coverage than what they were previously getting, so we view this as a service enhancement.”
RELATED: Province adding rural paramedics, closing stations
But for some residents, those promises are not enough. Gert Hamonic, who has lived in River Park South for 26 years, says she doesn’t believe the city when it says the response times will stay the same.
It’s a very sad day,” Hamonic said. “I have a neighbour that has used it three times this summer. Without that, who knows whether he would’ve survived.”
“If it is an emergency and you lose a loved one, no matter how hard you cry after the fact…it’s done.”
They city says the unit at Station 26 was selected for relocation because it had the lowest utilization of all of the peak-time ambulances. Its availability sits around 52 per cent.