Due to the recent changes imposed by the Manitoba Collage of Paramedics (MCP) the future of HFD's and many other Medical First Response (MFR) programs is in jeopardy.  Recently the MCP has used it authority to demand an almost  3x increase in training hours.  This will increase the cost of training a responder over 3x to provide and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level of care, while providing zero additional benefits to the community.  

MFR services were established to fill a gap that the provincial ambulance service couldn't.  A recent freedom of information request reveled that 10% of the  provincial ambulance response time to priority 1-3 calls (priority 1 being the most critical) was over 30 mins!  To ensure rapid response times, many local Fire Departments have established MFR services.  Despite medical care being a provincial government responsibility,  the need for this level of care was recognized and ultimately funded at a municipal level.  

Contact you provincial MLA!  We can even help you do that.  A working group consisting of MFR representatives, MCP and the Provincial government was established to negotiate these issues.  The MCP was unwilling to consider any compromise and the Province of Manitoba has chosen not to intervein.  Please lend your name to this cause by filling out the form below.  An email will be sent to MLA's in the area to let them know you're concerned about this issue!   If MFR providers (and ultimately municipal tax payers) are forced to incur these high costs,  for many MFR providers this added cost will make these programs unstainable and ultimately leave citizens without this service.  For areas that can afford the cost, there will be no additional gain in service, just higher cost.