More Cochrane area residents are worried about ambulance response times and the health of Alberta's ambulance system.

At last weekend's trade show, nearly 200 people signed the petition, and the number of signatures collected is drawing close to 3,000.

Ali Morrison, who created the petition and is a member of the Cochrane EMS Crisis Citizens Action Group, is scheduled to meet with local MLA Peter Guthrie on May 17. She'll be presenting the petition, and discussing actions that need to be taken to get the ambulance system back on track.

She's been promised Guthrie will present the petition to Health minister Jason Copping.

Last week was particularly bad for Cochrane residents, she says. Three times Cochrane was left without an ambulance and a Stoney Nakoda ambulance crew was called upon to cover two calls.

The petition is available online here and can be signed in person. It calls for a permanent and stable ambulance service and asks MLA Guthrie to carry forward a three-point plan to address the issue for consttiuents in the  Cochrane area.  

The action group is calling for non-emergency transfers to be completed by alternative sources, ending hospital wait times for EMS crews, and for the province to stop flexing our local ambulances into Calgary and area.

The petition will be available to be signed this Sunday at the Heartland Garage Sale on Sunday.

"I'm inviting everyone to come and chat with us on the crisis, and what we can do to keep our loved ones safe," says Morrison.

She's also seeking more people to go door-to-door to collect signatures. She's had a few dedicated people assisting, but says more are required. Many hands make light work and having people commit their collect signatures on their block would make a huge difference.

Morrison can be reached at thestonesoupstudio@gmail.com.