
The Timmins Central Ambulance Communication Centre, along with Cochrane District Paramedic Service and Weeneebayko Area Health Authority Paramedic Service, will implement a new system for 9-1-1 calls on Wednesday, June 25th.
People who call 9-1-1 in the event of a medical emergency should expect to answer new, more-detailed questions about each patient’s condition and location.
Those who call for non-life-threatening matters should expect longer wait times depending on the nature of the emergency and the patient’s condition.
9-1-1 callers for less-urgent cases will be supported through regular contact with ambulance communications officers to monitor the patient’s condition in case it changes.
The new system, called the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), is already in use in more than 35,000 ambulance communications centres across at least 46 countries. It’s currently active in Toronto, Ottawa, Peel, Halton, York, Niagara, Thunder Bay, Kenora, and more — and will soon be the standard across Ontario.