Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services say calls for help continue to rise

Every second matters in an emergency. CTV’s Hannah Schmidt rides along with paramedics to find out what happens when a call for help comes in.

Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services says its crews are tackling a growing number of emergency calls while aiming to keep response times low.

The service currently employs about 325 full-time and part-time paramedics and has 13 bases across the region with two main fleet centers.

“We’ve got currently 60 ambulances that are available on the road,” said Jason Dippel, communications specialist with Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services. “We have about 30 to 36 ambulances available during peak hours. With that, we also have four first response units, three of which are on the road that we put out in the rural areas currently.”

Dippel says each day, there are always two paramedics assigned to a rig.

“We have two levels of care: we’ve got primary care and advanced care. So usually, we have a primary care and an advanced care [paramedic] which can be paired together,” Dippel explained. “Or we have groups of both primary care paramedics that would respond.”

He said they also have first response units, where a single paramedic could respond to a call and start treatment immediately while waiting for an ambulance capable of transporting a patient.

On average, each ambulance responds to anywhere from two to six calls per day, according to Dippel.

“Some days we’re a little bit busier and some crews will get more than that. But that’s a good average.”

Once a call comes in, crews are expected to be enroute to their ambulance within two minutes. Their target is to reach patients within six to eight minutes, though officials note response times can vary depending on location, traffic and call demand.

First responders said demand for service continues to rise each year, in part due to an aging population and higher call volumes linked to population growth. Other factors, like weather, can also play a part.

“With the heat, we did see a slight increase in calls during the heat waves,” Dippel said. “The very beginning of winter, we see a lot of vehicle collisions with usually minor injuries. During the weekends when everybody’s out doing things, they’re all active, and sometimes we have some more trauma calls then where they’re out on the bike trails or on the hiking paths. Otherwise, day to day, we get calls for just about anything you can imagine.”

“Retirement homes generate a fair number of our calls as well as elderly people still living at home that maybe should be thinking about a retirement home because they’re having a harder time living independently,” said Bryan Lutley, a fourth-year paramedic. “The lower income and homeless population, they have certain needs that they aren’t able to meet on their own. So that also is a high percentage.”

The service has also launched a new community referral program, which connects frequent 911 callers and vulnerable patients to social supports and health services. Officials said it is expanding quickly as paramedics look for ways to ease pressure on emergency rooms and provide care outside of hospital settings.

“Our frontline paramedics can highlight that, put a paramedic referral into our community paramedics who can then follow up to help them navigate the system and see what supports through regional programs and other health care programs are available in the region,” Dippel explained. “A way to better help them out and stay at home, stay comfortable there.”