Changes are coming soon to how ambulances are dispatched around the Quinte region.
Hastings County Council received a report about emergency services in the Hastings County area, during Thursday’s council meeting.
The report briefly spoke about upcoming changes to the dispatch procedures. While current procedures have ambulances sent out on a first call first served basis, the new system will send ambulances out on priority based on the severity of the patient’s needs.
A patient with less severe injuries may have to wait while ambulances handle more urgent calls. Operators will also be trained to ask specific questions over the phone to assess how urgent a call is.
The new system will also send firefighters out with EMS less often, with firefighters only being activated for more urgent calls.
The changes are set to take effect in February.
