The Yukon government wants to chop the number of ambulance staff on duty during the winter at a time when emergency workers believe there is not enough being spent on ambulance staff.

This morning, Rob McWilliam, the deputy minister of Health and Social Services, and an assistant deputy minister from that department, Joanne Fairlie, said the government wants to slash how much it staffs the ambulance station.

Currently, two ambulances are staffed with two attendants each at the station every day between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., while just one vehicle is staffed over the other 12 hours. If any more ambulances are required, other staff are called in.

But the government wants to make the second ambulance, currently staffed by auxiliary attendants, strictly seasonal.

Fairlie said the department doesn't think a second ambulance needs to be staffed during the day and early evening except during the winter.

The government would want the second ambulance staffed only from May to September. Between October and April, if a second ambulance was needed at any time of day, attendants would be called at home to rush in, get dressed, get into the vehicle and go to the call.

One emergency worker said last week employees are concerned only one ambulance is staffed through the late night and morning.

The person said there is a delay in bringing in the staff for the second ambulance, with the response time being 30 minutes if the incident is close to downtown and longer if it is further out.

The person added the ambulance attendants are the ones who have to explain to distressed people why it took so long for help to arrive.

Now, the government wants to set up a similar situation during the day.

The person said having only one ambulance puts Yukoners' lives at risk.

If the government cut the extra ambulance, it will save about $90,000 per year.

This morning, Fairlie was asked if it would be worth it if the Yukon government was facing a lawsuit after someone died because the on-call ambulance staff couldn't get to the scene fast enough.

'We do our best to assess the risk' of such a decision, Fairlie said. She said the cuts are worth the risk.

She said dispatch takes the priority when calls come in. But it still takes time for workers to get down to the station, get dressed, get into the ambulance and out to the scene if they are on call.

During the press conference, McWilliam admitted there are 35 grievances filed by ambulance attendants with which the government has not dealt. The deputy minister said these concerns have not been concluded because the union wanted all of the matters dealt with as a package.

The Yukon Employees Union and the government have not settled the grievances, said McWilliam, because they cannot come to an agreement on when the second ambulance should be staffed.

Until that dispute is settled, the government will not slash the hours of the second ambulance.

Both opposition parties believe the desire to cut hours comes from the governing Yukon Party.

'It's downsizing government,' NDP critic Eric Fairclough said.

'That's their real agenda cut the public service,' Liberal Leader Pat Duncan said of the ruling party. 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that coming.'

Fairclough said if something happens due to a delayed ambulance, it may cost the government even more money in the end.

'Perhaps the public will be suing,' the New Democrat said.

'I think they would be making the problem even worse.'

During this morning's press conference, McWilliam raised other issues which have come up lately.

Emergency workers and the opposition have contended the two new ambulances which have been purchased by the government but have not arrived will be too big for the ambulance bay in Ross River, where one is going, and almost too big in Whitehorse.

McWilliam said today the attendants are wrong and that the bays were measured.

The worker said last week that in Whitehorse at both the hospital dock and the ambulance station bay there will only be 25 centimetres' (10 inches') clearance on the new, longer ambulance, and this will make it difficult to work at the ambulances and get patients out.

McWilliam contended the ambulances will fit into the bays in Whitehorse and Ross River.

He said the only concern is in Ross River, where the new ambulance is too high. He said the government is spending $2,000 to remove some ducting in the bay's ceiling to remedy the situation.

The officials were asked if there would be enough room in the bays in Whitehorse for attendants to manoeuvre.

'We understand it is (enough),' said McWilliam.

Fairlie said the attendants wouldn't need to do much in the bay and if they needed to get into the ambulance, they could open the main garage door to do so because there isn't much room in the bays.

McWilliam also talked about the concerns raised by the attendants over the past week.

'I don't think they're unfounded. They're frustrated we don't have a money tree we can go out back and shake' to make sure everybody always has new equipment, McWilliam quipped.