A North Queens Fire Department pumping water. Photo: Facebook.
The North Queens Fire Association says its firefighters aren’t being called to medical emergencies as they should be, leaving some residents without timely help.
Fire Chief Chris Wolf says the department is classified as “non-urgent” under Emergency Health Services (EHS), meaning it should respond to a range of calls, including some urgent ones. However, he says that isn’t happening consistently.
“We’ve had previous meetings about this, and I thought the issue would be addressed, but we’re still missing calls,” Wolf said.
He believes the problem stems from staffing shortages at the EHS communications center, leading dispatchers to make decisions without always following established procedures.
Wolf says his department has been left out of calls where they could have assisted, including incidents where people with broken limbs were left in the snow waiting for medical help.
To address the issue, he has organized a public meeting on March 3 at 7 p.m. at the North Queens Fire Hall in Caledonia. He has invited Queens MLA Kim Masland, officials from EHS and Emergency Medical Care (EMC), and Nova Scotia’s Health Minister Michelle Thompson.
Wolf says the goal is to hear public concerns, get responses from officials, and work toward a solution. A follow-up meeting will take place about a month later to review any progress.
“My main goal is to get this fixed, and I’m not going to let it drop until it is,” Wolf said.
