A Salute to Killam Volunteer Fire Department

My wife Tammy & I, along with Deputy Mayor Darcy Eskra & his wife Annette, had the pleasure of attending the Killam Fire Department Christmas Party recently.  An annual event, it is a chance for this hard working group of volunteers and their partners to get together socially, share a few stories & laughs, and to celebrate their achievements & awards.

Volunteer Fire Departments were once thought of as a group of guys who got together once a month to spray some water on the street, then have a few beers & play some cards.  While this may be the case with some departments today, I can tell you that Killam Fire Department takes their task far more seriously.

Chief Joe Knievel informed us that his members combined for over 1,000 hours of training in 2011 – that is a phenomenal commitment as a volunteer; time away from work, friends & family.  Add to this the time spent at practice, maintaining equipment, and at fire calls, and their commitment is staggering.

Being a former member of this group, I know the dedication it takes to do the job effectively while keeping themselves & their colleagues safe. 

It is a commitment that is 24/7, 365 days of the year.  This fact was brought home at last year’s event – interrupted twice by two different emergency response call outs.

These men & women provide something very precious to our community – peace of mind – and I am proud of them for that.

I encourage you to offer a word of encouragement or shake the hand of a fire fighter you know - they make a huge contribution to our safety & well being.

A portion of my remarks to this group follow.

Cheers,

Bud James

Good Evening everyone.  Thank you very much for your kind invitation for Tammy & I to attend your banquet.  We always appreciate the chance to visit with you.


It’s my pleasure to bring greetings to you on behalf of our community and my Town Council colleagues, and to pass on our sincere thanks for all that you do for the Town of Killam, and the region, in the delivery of fire & rescue services. 


As well, congratulations to those of you who are receiving an award this evening.


Killam, like any small town, depends on involvement by its residents to be progressive.  There are various opportunities to volunteer for your community, from service groups like the Lions Club or Legion, to community boards, like the Recreation Board or Library Board.  All have an important role to play. 


Being a fire fighter is another way to serve your community, but in a very distinct way.  Your role requires you to drop what you are doing & leave work, home, the hockey rink, your kid’s soccer game, a good night’s sleep,  or whatever, to help those who may very well be having the worst day of their lives. 


Your role is vital to our community in this distinct way, and you are to be commended for taking up this challenge.


Our Council tries hard to make sure that you have the tools - the assets - to do your job efficiently & safely. 


However, the single most valuable asset in this organization is you; it is the human asset, and without it Killam Fire Department does not exist.  It is your commitment to take the time & effort to deliver this service that makes Killam Fire Department what it is. 


We applaud your effort, we applaud your dedication, and we thank you for all that you do for Killam & community.

Six things we need to do to make Health Care sustainable.

Health Care in Alberta, in its current state, is not sustainable.  We are currently allocating somewhere around 40% of the provincial operating budget to health care, and it seems that any additional money we have thrown at this industry is gobbled up with little indication of any improvement in service to the patient.

Here are six things I think we can do to help make health care in Alberta sustainable.  Whether you agree or not, give me your thoughts on this issue.

1. There are many health care facilities around rural Alberta that are not being used to their potential.  Why can’t we make better use of these facilities?  Why can’t we do cataract surgery in Daysland?  Why can’t we do hip & knee replacements in Wainwright?  If we can find a way to do this we use facilities that are already in place.  Sure, there may be some renovation required.  However the positive is we are not building more facilities in Edmonton & Calgary, where the cost is huge.  Other positives are ease of access for patients in rural Alberta, plus the obvious local economic boost.  

2. Wages & benefits are a big part of the cost of health care.  We need to carefully examine the value we are getting from health care employees, whether they interact directly with patients, or not.  Change of work flow and reallocation of duties will result in better use of human resources in the delivery of health care.

3. When we are receiving a service from Alberta Health Services, we need to ask ourselves “Would I do anything differently if I was writing a cheque at the end of the day?”  I am talking about a visit to the doctor for a common cold, or accessing various tests or procedures that simply confirm what is known.  The issue here is responsible use of resources.  By the way, you ARE writing a cheque for the service.  Health care is not free – it is paid for by you & I, in the form of income tax. 

4. The elimination of health care premiums was a mistake.  Users of the service will respect it more if they are paying something for it – even if it is nominal.  I am not opposed to the introduction of an annual deductible of some kind either, with a program in place to waive the requirement for those unable to pay.

5. We need to have the discussion about private delivery of health services.  I know that many of you believe this will result in destruction of the public system, but we have to at least examine this possibility.  Other jurisdictions seem to have found a way to make a blended delivery system work efficiently.

6. We all need to get exercise & eat properly.  This may be the single most important thing we should be doing.  A healthy population will access health services less and ease the strain on the system.  I know I could do better, how about you? 

What do you think?  Okay, maybe we can’t solve this issue with six simple initiatives.  However I think they are a good start.

Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,

Bud James