With 911 call volumes rising, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service develops new 5-priority dispatch system - Action News
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Manitoba

With 911 call volumes rising, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service develops new 5-priority dispatch system

A person injured in an assault, a car crashing into a house and a possible overdose made up three of the 195 calls for help made to the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic 91 Communications Centre while CBC spent time with them last week. The number of calls to first responders has increased in recent years, but a new dispatch system could help.

WFPS plans to roll the new dispatch system out early in the new year

A night with some of Winnipeg's first responders

2 days ago
Duration 4:44
CBC spent time with some of Winnipeg's first responders to see their work behind the scenes, and also heard how they're working on a new five-priority dispatch system to meet the city's demands.

A person injured in an assault, a car crashing into a house and a possible overdose made up three of the 195 calls for help made to the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic 911 Communications Centre while CBC spent time with them last week.

Scott Wilkinson, the deputy chief of fire rescue operations and training for the WFPS, said the number of calls to first responders has increased in recent years.

"We've seen a vast, a significant increase in all of our calls, including our medical response calls, our fire callsand our overall number of rescue incidents as well," said Wilkinson.

The amount of calls for service forfirefighters and paramedicsis one reason the WFPSplans to changehow itdispatches crews.

"The volume itself is a challenge, I mean we're experiencing burnout by some of our staff with the amount of volumes of calls," he said. "The types of calls are an issue, we're seeing an uptick in violence."

Data from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service shows the number of medical-related calls for service was 81,241 in 2018. In 2023, that number was 109,558.

Data for 2024 ranges from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30.

The number of calls related to fires and rescue operations during that time also increased. The data shows there were 18,966 calls in 2018 and 20,630 in 2023.

Data for fires in 2024 includes first 6 months of the year. WFPS said *null reflects reports where the property class is not defined.

Officials say they want to ensure crews are available and can get to critical emergencies orpriority one calls in under nine minutes.

Ryan Sneath, deputy chief of paramedic operations and training,saidthose-time dependent calls, such asa stroke or heart attack, won't change under the service's new five-priority system.

"So right now our call categories are priority onelights and sirens or priority two no lights and sirens. And so we'll be shifting to ...five priority categories," he said.

Man with glasses stands outside a firehall wearing a white uniform style shirt.
Deputy fire chief Scott Wilkinson with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service tells CBC the service has seen a significant increase in calls, including medical response calls, fire calls and rescue incidents. (Travis Golby/CBC)

The rest of the callswill fit into the other fourcategoriesbased on the information given by callers to those at the WFPS 911 Communications Centre.

In those other categories, crews won't use lights and sirens to get there, Sneath explained.Aportion will go to a community paramedic in the dispatch centre todetermine whether it's necessary to send out a team,or, if they can be helped over the phone, he said.

"We'll likely roll it out early in the new year," said Sneath.

Some calls already go to a community paramedic.

"Early estimates before we roll this out is about 15,000incidents a year will go to those community paramedics," he said.

Evidence for new system

Sneath said five years of data helped shapethe new system to ensure they're taking an evidence-based approach.While this type of system is used in some other places, he said it will be a change for people in Winnipeg.

"They may not get their traditional response of the lights-and-sirens vehicle," he said. "They will get a response and it will be based on what their medical complaint is when they phone."

Man with dark hair stands outside a fire hall. He is wearing a white uniform style shirt.
Ryan Sneath, deputy chief of paramedic operations and training, says the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is working on a new five-priority dispatch system for calls, which is expected to roll out early next year. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Another reason for changing to the new system is to cut down the number of times crews are cutting through traffic with lights and sirens.

"There is an amount of research that has been conducted in terms of lights and sirens emergency-type responses involving emergency vehicles and associated rates of accidents with those vehicles," saidFire and Paramedic Chief Christian Schmidt.

"Those types of accidents can result in injury to not only members of the public, but also to the emergency personnel. So really the move toward this is twofold. One, to become more efficient, but also to allow us to deploy our vehicles in a safer manner."

He saidthere's a number of factors driving the rise in calls to Winnipeg's firefighters and paramedics including population growth, an aging population, substance use and socioeconomic challenges.

"All these things come together and they do drive some of the call volume that we're seeing in emergency services," said Schmidt.

Man stands inside the garage of a firehall with a firetruck behind him. He is wearing a white uniform style shirt.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Chief Christian Schmidt says a new five-priority dispatch system for the service will help deploy emergency vehicles in a safer manner. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Schmidt saidanother shift in their response involvesworking with the Downtown Community Safety Partnershipwhen outreach workers are better suited to help.

"Our front-line first responders both at DCSP and at fire paramedic service can talk to one another over the radio channels regarding the incidents that they're responding to and the people that they're going out to help," said Schmidt.

Earlier this month, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillinghamsaid he's considering what it would take to get an emergency service for mental health calls. Schmidt likes the idea.

"It's these types of programs that are going to help free up emergency response services like paramedics, fire and police," said Schmidt.

"And it's going to ensure that we get the right resource to the patient's side and, you know, in some cases that it is going to be a mental health clinician."

He said it's important to work with and continue workingother partners and agencies in the community to meet Winnipeg's needs.