Deployment
Paramedic deployment in the City and District of Thunder Bay is dynamic, with resources fluctuating so to best meet demand. As demand waxes and wanes, so do levels of paramedic deployment. During peak demand periods there are seven ambulances and one Paramedic Response Unit (PRU) in the City of Thunder Bay. In the quiet hours of the early mornings, there are a minimum of four ambulances and one PRU. Paramedics respond to emergency calls from three bases:
- Arthur Street
- Roland Street
- Beck Street
When the new District HQ and Thunder Bay North Station on S Junot Ave is commissioned, the Roland Station will be decommissioned. Additionally, paramedics may respond to emergency calls while “mobile” or from other places such as the Regional health Sciences Centre or the Thundner Bay airport.
Paramedics respond to emergency calls throughout the District as well. From 14 stations, District paramedics work a mix of scheduling, including both “on-site” and “on-call” duty time. When “on-call”, usually at night, paramedics carry a pager and repond to calls by attending to the respective EMS station from home or elsewhere. They must remain fit to report to duty within 8 minutes driving time at all times when “on-call”.
In all cases, the deployment plan provides for the provision of non-emergent patient transportation services (usually transportation between medical facilities). This service, however, is not provided at the expense of emergency medical coverage. In short, 911 emergency response will not be compromised to provide non-emergent service.
