AHS to launch external review of ambulance response in fatal dog attack

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says an independent review will take place on the response to a fatal dog attack in Calgary last Sunday.

CEO Mauro Chies told reporters Thursday that the agency in charge of the province's ambulance services has conducted an internal review of the response but another pair of objective eyes is needed.

The reviewer will be from out of province and external to Alberta's system but familiar with EMS, dispatch and 911 protocols.

"The independent review will look into the events surrounding the calls to EMS dispatch, call-handling protocols inside EMS and with other agencies, ambulance response time, and availability of ambulances at the time," an AHS press release said.

A final report is expected to be delivered by the end of September, Chies said.

This week's internal "quality assurance review" was meant to find areas where the overall system response could be improved, but did not find any faults and that the response was appropriate based on the information provided.

Chies offered condolences to the family of the 86-year-old woman, Betty Ann Williams, who died after the dog attack, and those who responded at the scene. He also thanked the first responders and AHS staff.

It took an ambulance 30 minutes to get to Williams, who had been attacked by three dogs.

Police and paramedics responded on Sunday to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in the city's northwest and found the injured woman, who later died.

Alberta Health Services has said the initial 911 call was sent to police based on information provided from the scene.

A neighbour, Nicola, whose full name CBC is withholding to protect her identity, called 911 that day. 

"I said, 'There's an 80-year-old woman that's been mauled by three dogs,'" she said, adding that the whole thing was traumatic as the senior had significant injuries. 

Premier Jason Kenney said Thursday that it was inadequate that it took so long for an ambulance to arrive.

Alberta Health Services must get to the bottom of what went wrong to make sure it never happens again, he said.