Federal and provincial officials are calling for a review of border procedures after an ambulance rushing an Ontario heart attack patient to a U.S. hospital was held up at the border.

'I don't think it was right, and I'm really angry that someone would even think to pull in an ambulance where someone is dying in the back.'—Kat Lauzon, the patient's girlfriend

It was the 10th border delay in two years involving patients being transferred from Windsor, Ont., to Detroit, according to the CBC's Susan Pedler.

In the latest incident, Rick Laporte was en route from Windsor to a Detroit hospital for an emergency angioplasty on Friday when U.S. customs officials flagged the vehicle for a secondary inspection despite having a police escort and a pre-clearance arrangement.

Pedler reported that, under a deal hammered out in 2005, Windsor is the only border point between Canada and the U.S. that allows patients to be pre-cleared with a fax ahead of border crossings for medical emergencies.

Such an arrangement was made in Laporte's case. But U.S. officials still have the right to pull over anyone for secondary inspections including ambulances that have been pre-cleared, Pedler said.   

The man driving the ambulance was asked to show his documents to the guard and then Laporte was asked to verbally identify himself.

Laporte, 46, had already been revived twice, according to media reports.

Border procedures questioned

As the incident became public over the weekend, all levels of government expressed outrage at the delay.

During question period, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day told the House of Commons that the government has raised a number of issues with U.S. officials relating to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires all persons to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the U.S.

Day said the law has "had some unintended consequences in terms of how it's interpreted at the border.

"I've communicated with the secretary of state on this particular issue, the Department of Homeland Security, and we have registered our concern," he said. "We don't want to see this continue. It has to come to an end."

Windsor West MP Brian Masse said he plans to send a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Day asking them to address the issue by meeting with the U.S. ambassador.

City officials also weighed in on the issue.

"There was a risk to Rick Laporte and the situation was aggravated when his ambulance was pulled over," said Coun. Bill Marra. "I don't think it's appropriate for us to remain silent on this and simply chalk it up to a federal jurisdictional issue."

Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services has already launched an internal review into the matter and plan to speak with hospital and border officials.

Laporte, girlfriend angry about delay

Meanwhile, Laporte's girlfriend, Kat Lauzon, said he's out of intensive care and doing well back in Windsor.

She's still struggling to understand what happened at the border and is calling for issue to be addressed.

"I don't think it was right, and I'm really angry that someone would even think to pull in an ambulance where someone is dying in the back. I really can't get my head around that," she told CBC News.

She said Laporte is also upset about the border delay but can do little while he is recuperating.

"He doesn't have enough energy to, you know, run down the street with a sign in his hand," she said.

Firefighters delayed in similar incident

The incident was the second such border delay in an emergency situation in just over a week.

On Nov. 11, six volunteer firefighters from Lacolle, Que., were called to help fight a fire at a historic hotel called Anchorage Inn in Rouses Point, N.Y.

A U.S. border guard held them up for several minutes while he checked their identification.

By the time the firefighters reached the hotel, the building had burned to the ground.

There is a bilateral agreement that allows Canadian firefighters to respond to U.S. emergencies, but New York officials said the guard was probably unaware of it.