The District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) has approved ontracting out some of the cleaning of its ambulances between calls for service to Final Touch Property Maintenance Services.
During the height of COVID-19 the service contracted out some of the deep cleaning of ambulances between calls to Final Touch.
Prior to 2020, paramedics were responsible for cleaning and disinfecting the ambulances between calls, before the MOH funded the enhanced cleaning measures.
Final Touch was awarded a contract at that time to do some of that cleaning on-site at the ambulance base in Fire Station #3 on Old Garden River Road.
In March, the ministry notified the service that provincial funding for enhanced cleaning would end.
Sault Ste. Marie Paramedic Services Chief Katie Kirkham made a request to the DSSAB for funding the enhanced cleaning through the local Community Paramedic and Land Ambulance budgets.
The DSSAB awarded Final Touch’s bid for enhanced cleaning at a cost of just over $74,000 per year.
Final Touch staff will clean the ambulances for eight hours a day, 365 days per year under the new contract.
In her report, Kirkham said Final Touch’s cleaning services will allow the paramedic service to maintain the cleaning and disinfection needs of the ambulances at the level recommended by Algoma Public Health.