Ambulance service leaves Kensington for Kinkora

Firefighters in Kensington, P.E.I., voted to ask ambulance to leave fire station

Image | Island EMS ambulance lights flashing front door (indoors)

Caption: 'We would certainly love to have them based out of Kensington,' says the town's mayor, Rowan Caseley. (Pat Martel/CBC)

An ambulance that was based out of the fire hall in Kensington, P.E.I., has moved to nearby Kinkora after firefighters raised concerns about sharing the building.
The volunteer fire department uses the facility regularly for training, while paramedics also used it to wait between emergency calls, said Kensington mayor Rowan Caseley.
"It started to create a few things that didn't work out well for the firefighters," said Caseley, comparing the situation to two families trying to share a house. "They'd be trying to use the same facility at the same time."
Caseley believes there is no animosity between the groups.

Voted out

In October, the firefighters voted unanimously to ask the town's management to ask Island EMS to leave, which it did, Caseley said.

Image | Kensington Fire Dept

Caption: Volunteer firefighters and Island EMS had been sharing this building in Kensington for the past couple of years. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"We would certainly love to have them based out of Kensington," Caseley said, adding he's disappointed but understands why the arrangement didn't work out.
Island EMS was not available for comment Monday.
The ambulance has moved to Kinkora for now. Caseley said the communities are close enough that response time to Kensington is not a concern.
Kensington is working on finding another indoor spot for the ambulance between calls, Caseley said, but hasn't been able to find anything suitable.
Health PEI hasn't heard any concerns from Island EMS about the situation, it said.