Sault's paramedic chief has a plan to get to patients faster

The Sault's paramedic chief is seeking an extra $868,354 in the upcoming budget to put an additional 12-hour paramedic crew on the road to help response times.

In her October report to the District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB), Chief Katie Kirkham said the service generally meets its response time goals for most categories, but continues to fall short for the most critical calls, like sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

In an assessment of all calls in 2023, the service responds to SCA calls within its six-minute goal less than 56 per cent of the time.

"To address these gaps and ensure timely responses of the most urgent cases, an increase in front-line resources is requested," said Kirkham. "This initiative will not only enhance service delivery, but also provide vital support ot our paramedics."

The addition of a daily 12-hour shift would come at an estimated cost of $576,412, with an additional one-time cost of approximately $291,942. The operating costs will be solely paid by the service in the first year of implementation, and shared with the province 50/50 every year after that.

The current DSSAB draft budget proposes a 1.92 per cent levy impact. If the proposal for the additional shift is approved, that levy impact would bump the levy impact to 4.36 per cent.

The proposal comes as call volumes for the service continue to climb. The total number of calls in 2024 is estimated to reach 23,400, almost 2,000 more than last year and nearly 3,000 more than in 2021, the last time an increase in service came into effect.

"Total call volumes have been steadily increasing year-over-year, highlighting the growing demand for emergency services across the district," said Kirkham. 

In addition to an increase in the total number of calls, Kirkham said there is a trend of a rise in high-priority calls.

The proposal will be considered when the DSSAB finalizes its 2025 budget in its November meeting.

In recent months, Kirkham has discontinued monthly reporting of offload delay data. When DSSAB CEO Mike Nadeau was asked the reason for that data no longer being released, he acknowledged the problem still continues.

"We are implementing a new software system within EMS service and are having some challenges related to capturing accurate data in a couple areas," he said. "We are currently working with the vendor and will bring reports forward once the service fully migrates and is able to capture data in a manner consistent with the past."