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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 28, 2008 - 7 Emergency calls on the rise Continued from page1 tracking the frequency of periods when a limited number of ambulances are available to service the region. Staff found there were 19 occasions and a total of more than 11 hours when four or fewer ambulances were available for all of Halton in November, with one occasion when no ambulances were available for about five minutes. Then, in December, there were 36 occasions when four or fewer ambulances were available, totalling s14.5 hours. There were also three occasions that month totaling one hour when no ambulances were available. Halton Director of Land Ambulance Services Jim King explained when the local EMS is down to four or fewer ambulances, supervisory staff is sent out in first response vehicles. "All of our supervisory staff are advanced-care paramedics," he said. "We send them to areas where we're experiencing higher call volumes." He said dispatch also notifies Peel Region and the City of Hamilton to try to get some of their ambulances on stand-by on the Halton border. "It's still a concerning situation to us because we like to have "On a regular basis, meal breaks are delayed or missed entirely due to call volume and paramedics are currently spending the majority of their working hours on task, with a limited amount of time actually spent in the station." Halton Director of Land Ambulance Services Jim King our ambulances available," King noted. The amount of time lost to offloading delays each day is equivalent to two ambulances being out of service for an entire 12-hour shift, a report from Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal explained. For 2007, this added up to 8,851 hours of vehicle staffing lost at an estimated cost of more than $1.2 million. Emergency call demand for Halton EMS also increased by 150 per cent between 1996 and 2007 -- something that's stretching local resources. Nosal's report stated the periods of limited resources significantly impact the workload of frontline paramedics. "On a regular basis, meal breaks are delayed or missed entirely due to call volume and paramedics are currently spending the majority of their working hours on task, with a limited amount of time actually spent in the station," the report stated. "Limited resources also impact supervisory staff that are frequently required to service emergency calls and provide emergency coverage for prolonged periods of time, which in turn impacts on the supervisors' abilities to complete administrative supervisory functions." King said the recent addition of two peak-demand ambulances seems to have helped the situation a bit. He also noted the offloading delays boil down to a "systemic problem" in the healthcare system. "There are a lot of patients in the hospital that could go to longterm care homes if there were beds available for them," he said. Despite the delays at the hospital, Halton's EMS response time has been below the mandated standard since 2001. The Region is continuing to work with local hospitals, the Halton-Peel Emergency Services Network and the Local Health Integration Networks to develop strategies to manage offload delays. Don't Pay Retail! Factory Outlet Sale Installed by Professional Finish Carpenters Columns Wainscoting Over 70 Smooth or Patterned Profiles Visit our website or showrooms for prices, design ideas. In home design consultation available. 201 Millway Ave., Unit 6, 416-245-1115 (One light north of Hwy. 7 & Jane) Showroom Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5, Thurs until 7, Sat 10-3 Spring inTO SUMMER WITH ... Ein Stein's Biggest Wine & Beer Sale 5 May 30, 31 JuneONLY DAYS 1, 3 & 4 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED BEER, WINE, Fruit wines and wine coolers to choose from! Price 1/2 s oa ply h validrvice Rne 3 & 4 2008. Limit 4 batche 30, 31 81 NortOfferSe MaymbinedJuwith1,any other offer. Some restrictions ap 4 co Cannot be price and at regular one batch tch of Purchase r second ba receive you for sser value equal or le You on Site repared by P E -stom ER (2337) (905) 825cuB er. d W. per Ein Stein is CLOSED Mondays 3rd Line 4th Line Dorval A trusted name in Oakville since 1992 EIN STEIN North Service Rd. 481 Q.E.W. 481 North Service Road W. (just west of Dorval) HOURS: MON. CLOSED, TUES.-FRI. 12-8, SAT. 9-5, SUN. 11-3