A decision by Parks Canada to stop sharing their new radio frequency with Alberta Health Services’ centralized EMS dispatch centre is creating an extra step in communication, according to EMS officials.

Currently, Parks Canada runs all dispatch services in Jasper, but Alberta Health Services plans to run every EMS call through a centralized dispatch location by April 22.

The system has been working in other areas of the province, but because of Jasper’s topography, repeater stations are needed in order to maintain radio communication throughout the Park. Right now, Jasper National Park owns the stations, which uses a radio frequency, and with the upcoming change in EMS dispatch headquarters, is refusing to let Alberta Health Services use their station and frequency.

Jasper EMS ambulance manager Paul Kennedy said the move to centralize dispatch in the province is better for everybody. He said it is a system that will allow dispatch to control the entire province and make the most out of its resources, calling the nearest resource to a scene as efficiently and quickly as possible.

“It’s not really going to affect us. What is going to affect us is if we’re not going to be able to use the existing parks system. It means we’re not going to be able to contact wardens and fire department and so on that are on scene, so that’s a backwards step for us, but Parks has made a decision to not allow us to use the equipment,” Kennedy said.

Since the province isn’t allowed to use the repeater stations – a device used to send the radio signals a farther distance – it plans on acquiring at least two of its own repeaters to put on existing towers in the park, and use satellite radios for the rest of the park. Satellite radios will work almost anywhere, but are not as efficient as the regular radios.

Kennedy said running on a different radio channel with different repeater stations will mean when EMS responds to a scene that involves JNP staff and the fire department, an extra step will be added to contact each other.

“It just makes the whole process a lot more difficult, and there is really not any need for it,” Kennedy said.

JNP safety specialist manager Steve Blake said the park has no objection integrating their repeater system and they want to make sure the service is working well. However, the park is concerned on what changes could be made, adding that all the discussions haven’t taken place.

“I know that parks has a repeater system and a dispatch centre that are busy, and that our basic premise is that the level of service we offer our staff in this park and the other parks we dispatch for can’t be impacted by whatever changes happen with Alberta Health Services,” he said.

According to Jasper fire chief Greg Van Tighem, who is acting as a liaison between Parks Canada and Alberta Health Services, Parks Canada won’t share their frequency with the province because they need to control the traffic on their radio systems, particularly the repeaters. When someone is talking on one, once a second party comes in, the first conversation is cut off.

“For example, if parks was called to some sort of a high level rescue operation, and then somebody else keys the mic and cuts off the transmission, that might be life or death information type of thing. So they are very careful about who has access to their radio channels, obviously they only use them,” Van Tighem said.

The same circumstances can occur with the current system, but when someone hears someone talking on the radio, they simply wait for them to finish before cutting in, Kennedy said. He said what people need to realize is that there will be no increase in call volume, and just because EMS is getting a call from Peace River doesn’t mean they will be talking twice as much.

“Everything’s going to be the same, and they are going to listen to it, and if somebody’s talking on it, they are going to wait like they do now. I mean, if there’s only one channel in this park to use, we could be going down on an emergency call and a garbage truck can override us getting garbage from the campground. That happens now, you wait until the channel is clear, then you talk. It’s not difficult.”

The province has already tested the satellite radios, and it is working with other agencies that already own towers so they can put a repeater up on them.

Jill Thordarson, Manager of Alberta Health Services Northeastern Communications Centre, said the repeaters themselves aren’t that expensive, and they aren’t going to be building a whole bunch of towers throughout the province.

“JNP isn’t able to let us tie into the system that exists there today, which is what we try to do for a lot of reasons – cost sharing, that interoperability that is working with those other agencies. But they are not able to do that, they have a dynamic system, so we’ve had to look at other options,” she said.

Blake said he would be meeting with Thordarson in the near future to discuss where they are at and how to move forward.

The entire centralization project is just an interim solution, as the province is working on Alberta First Responders Radio System, which won’t be put in place for a few years, but in the meantime, they don’t want the repeater system to be too expensive.

“For us to put up a whole bunch of towers and pay all that cost right now, when we can do the same as what we have currently, or better, for less money, we are waiting for that project to be done,” she said. “For the most part we’re actually putting the repeaters on the hospital facilities. You don’t have to pay rent, it’s got back up power, it’s got all that good stuff.”

The issue has also concerned Jasper Town council.

Coun. Ralph Melnyk said there is a potential duplication of services and Council should approach the Minister about it.

“We have a good relationship with Parks, we go into B.C. It would be more cost effective to contract Parks to let us handle dispatch here. Council should pursue this with the Minister or Deputy Minister,” he said.