Level of service

According to the Ambulance Act of Ontario, Regulation 257/00 (Part II, Section 3 (1) – LACS III, Section (a)), the Corporation of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell and the Department of Emergency Services offer a paramedic service, as well as primary and advanced care.

Our department has a total of 100 employees who are defined as follows:

• 66 Primary Care Paramedics
• 34 Advanced Care Paramedics
• 7 Superintendents
• 5 Administrative Employees
• 4 Members of Management

The performance level of the paramedic service is determined by a rating called "the 90th percentile". The 90th percentile means that our service will, in 90 percent of the emergency calls, meet the average response time which is 15:59. In 1996, the 90th percentile was 19:19 minutes. In 2008, the 90th percentile of our service was 16:46 minutes and the standard in rural areas was 15:59 minutes.

The Department of Emergency Services is committed to further improve this performance with the review of ambulance reports, capture and analysis of electronic data, and deployment strategies of ambulance vehicles on our territory, while working with our paramedics and the Central Ambulance Communication Centre.

The reaction time (time at which paramedics are informed of the call and the time at which paramedics leave to answer this call) is less than one (1) minute for an emergency call.

Statistics

How are calls distributed?

The call to 9-1-1 is routed towards our Central Ambulance Communication Center (CACC) which is located in Ottawa and is managed by the City of Ottawa, with an agreement overseen by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The dispatcher will ask you several pertinent questions to establish the priority of your call. An ambulance will be dispatched to the scene of the emergency while you are in communication with the dispatcher. It is important to stay in communication with the dispatcher and listen carefully to the instructions that he will give you.

Who ensures that the paramedic is doing a good job?

The paramedic completes an electronic ambulance call report after each call where a patient was treated. Each electronic call is revised by the Administrative Deputy Chief to ensure that the paramedic follows the standards. The base hospital also receives an electronic copy of these calls, which are also revised to ensure that the protocols of delegated medical acts were met and to compile statistics.

Who makes sure to review the need for training of paramedics?

The base hospital and our Quality Assurance Officer ensure that our paramedics receive training that meets the requirements of the Ministry of Health. A continuing education program is also in place to enable our paramedics to maintain their skills and also learn new technique.

Where does the information filled during a call by a paramedic go?

A copy of the ambulance report is sent electronically to the following locations:

• The Hospital
• The Paramedic Service
• The Base Hospital

The Government of Ontario passed the 2004 Law on the Personal Health Information Protection Act, which helps to ensure the security and confidentiality of personal information about patients' health by imposing rules on their collection, use and disclosure.

The service is bound by confidentiality of the information contained in the ambulance report. If you would like a copy of your ambulance report, you must submit a request to Mr. Louis Rathier, Deputy Chief of Operations by calling 613-673-5139, ext. 224. A fee of $25 is imposed.

Access to Ambulance Report

You can have access to the information taken by our paramedics while they took care of you or a family member.

Here is how to proceed to have access to this information:

 To obtain a copy of your file, you must:

Complete the Request of Personal Health Information.pdf form and return the copy to our offices;

 Procedure #1

1)    Once your request has been received, the research will be made and the service will contact you to arrange an appointment;

2)    You must report to our offices to obtain your copy. If this is not possible, you can apply by proxy (see procedure #2). Upon your arrival, you will need to show 2 pieces of identification including at least one with a picture;

3)    A fee of $25.00 is required and payable upon your arrival.

 Procedure #2

Request through Proxy:

1. Your legal counsel or your insurer can request a copy of your personal health information on your behalf by sending us our form duly completed by you. / To obtain the form, please contact us at 613.673.5139, at extension 224 or 226;
2. Upon receipt of this request, the emergency service will proceed with the research in order to send your information to your legal counsel or your insurer;
3. A fee of $25.00 is required and a cheque covering that amount must accompany the application.

How do you clean and sanitize your equipment?

All equipment used in patient treatment is disposable. The vehicle used for the transportation is cleaned and the stretcher is disinfected after each call. In addition, all our vehicles are disinfected throughout once a week with a fungicide and bactericide.

The non-disposable equipment and blankets are washed according to standards.