Niagara Emergency Medical Services
Niagara Emergency Medical Services comprises of paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers and support staff who are committed to promoting the safety and well-being of all residents and visitors to Niagara.
There are 17 ambulance bases throughout the region and 30 emergency service vehicles. Our communication centre handles 911 emergency dispatch calls for ambulances - 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Current Staffing Levels
As of December 2011, we employ 310 people, including 241 paramedics.
| Resource / Personnel | Total |
|---|---|
| Primary Care Paramedics | 136 |
| Advanced Care Paramedics | 105 |
| Emergency Medical Dispatchers | 28 |
| Support Staff | 14 |
| Management | 17 |
| Total | 310 |
Total Primary and Advanced Care Paramedics Available Per Day
| Peak hours (day) | Nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Paramedics available | 26 units | 17 units |
Service Commitment
Our current level of service is provided by:
- Primary Care Paramedics (Basic Life Support)
- Advanced Care Paramedics (Advanced Life Support)
Regional Council mandates us to have 65 per cent of staff trained to the Advanced Care Paramedic level, when possible. Currently, we have 60 per cent of staff trained.
Emergency Response Compliance
| Call Priority | 1996 Standard (90th percentile) | 2010 (90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 and 2 | 10:48 (mm:ss) | * 9:45 (mm:ss) |
* As we have different standards for our response priorities, an overall 90th percentile does not accurately reflect our performance. We measure our 90th percentile response compliance based upon call response priorities.
We are committed to continually improving this benchmark through monitoring, recording and analyzing electronic data and working with labour, administration and the Niagara Ambulance Communication Service. Our goal is to improve the level of efficiency.
Paramedic Service Reaction Time (Chute Time)
Chute time is the time between when a paramedic is alerted to a call and when the ambulance in en-route to the call.
| Chute Time | Standard Operating Practice | 2010 (90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| T2 - T3 | 90 seconds | * 97 seconds |
* In 2011, our chute time was amended to 90 seconds from 120 seconds, and 90 seconds (combined) for all priorities.
| Chute Time | Standard Operating Practice | 2010 (90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| T0 - T1 | 75 seconds | 103 seconds |
| T1 - T2 | 45 seconds | 13 seconds |
| Overall T0-T2 | 120 seconds | 111 seconds |