Over the past five years, the Kenora District Services Boards Northwest EMS has seen a steady increase in call volume in the Dryden and surrounding area.
In 2017 the KDSB Northwest EMS responded to 2,000 calls in just the Dryden area, fast forward to the end of 2021 2,939 calls were reported.
KDSB Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Henry Wall said that with the increase in calls, paramedics are being pulled in all directions.
“The increase in call volume in the Dryden area was resulting in the ambulance being out of service cause it was responding to another call and we have other communities being dispatched to Dryden, taking ambulances and paramedics out of those communities,” said Wall.
In response to the spike in call volume, the KDSB will begin recruiting for an additional paramedic crew in Dryden.
Wall says that in the last year Dryden has seen a 25 per cent spike in calls. In that same time period, Ignace saw a 37 per cent increase, while Ear Falls had a 27 per cent rise.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase of calls has come from two specific demographics, which Wall says is concerning.
“Newborns from zero to ten years old, and from individuals between the ages of 31 to 40. From children aged to 10 just with for that demographic, our calls increase is 36 per cent just through this pandemic. In 31 to 40 year old’s a 39 per cent increase.”
In addition, the KDSB is looking at developing an EMS base in the Municipality of Machin.
“We think it will complement our ability to support the TransCanada Highway. The number of accidents we’ve seen this winter on this highway, we believe it will improve our response times, but also provide supports for Vermilion Bay, Eagle Lake, Eagle River, and Ear Falls.”
The CAO says the KDSB will investigate further with community partners into why the majority of calls are towards those two demographics.
Included in the investigation Wall says they will be taking input from the paramedics in the field on what they’re seeing and how the KDSB can adjust their approach to EMS services.