Ottawa paramedic dispatch system has 'reached a limit,' chief says

As rural Ottawa councillors bemoan slow paramedic response times and paramedic services near Ottawa report an increase in the calls they're handling for the city, Ottawa's paramedic chief says the system needs more resources.

• Eli El-Chantiry calls on city to hire more paramedics

Ottawa paramedics are expected to pick up high-priority calls within eightminutes of being dispatched, butin Osgoode wardthat's happening only 23 per centof the time, according to the ward's councillor,George Darouze.

The city dictates that its paramedics get to calls withineight minutes at least75 per cent of the time.

Anthony Di Monte, Ottawa's chief of paramedics, told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Friday the situation isbeing caused in part by the strain of increasing demand inurban Ottawa, and that'snot acceptable to him.

"We need a better response time," he said.

"The reality is, 90 per centof our call volume is within the greenbelt, and only 10 per centof the call volume is outside of the greenbelt."

'Essential service'

Darouze said hemet with Di Monte, other councillors andcityofficials in December about the issue, and that he's waiting for the results of a review to be done byJune.

Darouzesaid it doesn't matter to him where ambulances are deployed from as long as his ward's residents get to the hospital in an "adequate" amount of time.

"Paramedics are an essential service to my residents ... and everywhere in the city," he said. "I am concernedand I want to make sure that I pursue this, and I'm sure, slowly ... we can get thesolution."

DiMonte admits hisservice's annual report will likely show response times growing past what's allowed by Ontario law, and he told CBC Newsthat he'll likely berecommending city council approve an "addition of resources"to improve paramedic response.

"We've got to find a way to ... have enough resources to respond to the needs of urban Ottawa, and I think that's the solution that we need to look at," he said.

• Listen to theinterview with Di Monte here.