Private ambulance services shut down Health Only emergency calls will be answered until deal emerges CORNER BROOK AND ST. JOHN'S ASHLEY FITZPATRICK AND JAMES MCLEOD The Telegram

Corner Brook-based Reliable Ambulance Service owner Bob Patten (right) — who is also the president and chairman of the Provincial Ambulance Operators’ Executive Board — speaks about concerns over contract negotiation with the provincial government in St. John’s Friday afternoon. Later Friday, the association withdrew services except for emergencies. Also shown are (from left) Wayne Power, of Power’s Ambulance Service of Placentia, and Wade Smith of Smith’s Ambulance Service in Whitbourne. — Photo by Joe Gibbons/The Telegram

At 4 p.m. Friday, private ambulance services in communities across the province shut down, leaving only the minimum of emergency services still running.

The action involves privately owned services only and does not include hospital-based ambulance services.

The shutdown is to draw attention to the breakdown in negotiations between the service providers and the provincial government after almost two years of negotiations.

"We're talking about 100 ambulances. We're talking about 30-something ambulance services. We're talking about over 400 employees," said Bob Patten, president of the Private Ambulance Operators Executive Board (PAOEB).

Patten also runs Reliable Ambulance Service, based in Corner Brook.

Both Finance Minister Tom Marshall and Health Minister Jerome Kennedy said they were unhappy with the service disruption during the H1N1 flu pandemic.

"I'm extremely disappointed," Marshall said.

"To do it in the middle of a pandemic, in my view, is irresponsible."

Friday afternoon, about a dozen emergency responders were protesting at Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook.

Kirk Yetman said he is disappointed the provincial government has not been able to negotiate a contract with operators like Reliable in the 19 months since their contract has been out.

"This started with government; this ends with government," Yetman said. "We don't want to be doing this and we don't want to inconvenience the public, but the government is not willing to move on everything, so this is a last resort."

Patten said there were several sticking points for private operators in the original contract offer.

Central is a "termination clause" that would allow the government to stop funding to a service, to shut it down, without any advanced notice and without any compensation.

As well, operators are looking for greater levels of funding (now paid through monthly core payments and mileage compensation), to help cover the rising costs of ambulance operation.

"We used to spend about $6,000, $7,000 , if you go back 20 years, you had your ambulance fully equipped. We're now at $50,000 and $60,000 per ambulance," said Patten.

"A main stretcher has gone from 900 bucks up to over $6,000 plus tax."

Patten said he replaced seven ambulances last year, with no money for vehicle replacement from the province.

Between core funding and mileage compensation, private operators receive $150,000 to $200,000 a year for the operation of each ambulance, he said, whereas hospital-based operations receive $750,000 a year per unit.

"The government knows we're doing the same service for one fifth of the money, otherwise we wouldn't be here," said Patten.

Marshall, however, painted the government's offer as more than generous.

"We've offered to the private operators a package that represents a 35 per cent increase in their base funding and this includes funding for significant wage increases for their employees, the paramedics, and it also includes additional funds for operating expenses," Marshall said.

Marshall said the biggest sticking point for the government has been that in place of a termination clause, the ambulance operators want a mandatory buyout.

"We reserve the right at some point in the future to, you know, tender these contracts or government may decide at some point in the future to offer this service as a public service," Marshall said.

As far as buying out operators if they decide to go in a different direction, "it's just not in the cards."

During the shutdown of services, ambulances will still answer emergency calls, Patten said, but every coverage area will be down to one running ambulance. As well, any "routine transfer" calls will not be answered.

That includes calls for patient movements between health-care facilities, with runs to and from the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's (from medical centres in Corner Brook or Grand Falls, for example), runs to and from the airport, and runs to and from seniors' homes.

"Eighty per cent of the work in the province is routine and only about 20 per cent falls into the emergency category," Patten said.

"So right now about 80 per cent of the calls are not going to be answered."

The private operators have said any gap in services caused by the strike will have to be covered by the hospital-based ambulances services.

afitzpatrick@thetelegram.com jmcleod@thetelegram.com