Eastend Emergency Medical Services are suspended from today until March 14.

The closest ambulance out of Shaunavon, Frontier, and Consul will be dispatched.

The suspension of service comes with one paramedic in Eastend away for training. A second was hired, but is still learning the ropes, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority's director of EMS based out of the Swift Current office, Liz Rackow.

"We need to ensure that this new staff member will be properly trained and orientated, so she's not quite ready to start into her position just yet," said Rackow. "We'll have then both of our permanent part-time lines for primary care paramedics filled once she's able to start in her position."

Rackow said she's grateful for a strong contingent of trained first-responder volunteers in Eastend.

Depending on the roads, an ambulance can travel from Shaunavon to Eastend in 30 minutes, which Rackow said is their target time for rural Saskatchewan. But whether it takes half an hour or longer, Rackow said it's huge for there to be first responders on the scene quickly to begin assessment and care.

"[Suspension of services] is something that we are constantly trying to avoid in almost all of our rural services," Rackow said. "We're in a position where we're looking at staffing, and when staff need time to be able to be at other functions, such as additional training, we're always in a position where we're trying to make sure we have staff in those areas, and sometimes it's just not possible."

As of just before noon today, Rackow said she wasn't aware of any EMS calls coming out of Eastend that had to be responded to by EMS in another community.