Fixed-wing air ambulances will not be landing in Ponoka, Spirit River, and Two Hills.
Alberta Health Services says the runways in the communities are too short, which can be dangerous in winter.
Patients who require urgent medical care will now be transported by ground ambulance or STARS Air Ambulance.
The mayor of Ponoka says ambulance services in the area are already strained, and volunteer firefighters are often called to pick up the slack.
“Our issues with ambulance services and AHS has been a slow-moving train wreck that has been going on for a number of years,” Mayor Kevin Ferguson told CTV News Edmonton.
“Firefighters in this community are volunteers. So what that means is at the end of dealing with medical issues, they’re traumatized, they go home, they get up the next day, and they go to their real jobs.”
Ferguson says emergency services in the community serve approximately 50,000 people, including the Town of Ponoka, the county, and Maskwacis.
AHS says it will continue to work with communities and airport operators to address the issues.
