EMS hiring freeze would result in slower response times: EMS chief
Posted December 5, 2011 8:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto EMS deputy chief John Lock is warning that a proposed hiring freeze would slow response times, putting the public at risk.
The current goal response time is 8 minutes and 59 seconds from the time a person calls an ambulance to the time it arrives. Toronto EMS currently hits that 62 per cent of the time.
The hiring freeze proposed in the 2012 operating budget would hurt those numbers, Lock told CityNews on Monday.
“We project if we don’t hire (new) paramedics we will drop to 60 per cent,” he said. “If we want to hit 90 per cent at 8:59, we need 200 (new) paramedics.”
Budget chief Mike Del Grande wants Toronto to hire part-time paramedics, but Toronto is currently the only city in the province that can’t due to a collective agreement.
“For the amount of overtime that they are paying, they can be much more flexible in dealing with the overtime and dealing with the calls etc., to have part time staff,” he said.
Councillor Adam Vaughan was quick to criticize an EMS hiring freeze.
“It’s just a straight cut for the sake of the cut. Instead of getting an ambulance when you call 911 you’ll be able to look at the city website and see if the reserve funds are being replenished.”