Paramedics continue to exceed target response times in life-threatening emergencies

Newmarket – York Regional Council received a report outlining paramedic response times exceeded nearly all targets in 2024. Council also approved the immediate expansion of Paramedic Services vehicles using York Region’s dedicated bus lanes (rapidways) to help maintain response times for all calls, mitigate delays and support safer, more efficient emergency response.

Previously, Paramedic Services vehicles were only permitted to use rapidways when responding with both lights and sirens for high-priority incidents.

“York Region Paramedic Services continues to deliver timely, dependable emergency care by implementing innovative strategies to improve efficiency and safety,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “By expanding rapidways access, we are leveraging existing infrastructure to reduce delays and maintain high standards of care for our growing communities.”

In addition to amending the existing bylaw, Regional Council also received an update on the 2024 York Region Paramedic Services response times. Highlights include:

• Responding to 95,511 incidents, a 3.3% increase from 2023; incidents are expected to continue to increase with a growing population
• Managing average hospital transfer of care times below a 30-minute target, with support from hospitals and the provincial Dedicated Offload Nurse Program
• Exceeding six of seven response time targets; achieving average response time for the most severe and life-threatening cases (sudden cardiac arrest or absence of breathing) of 5 minutes and 40 seconds, while least urgent cases (minor ailments or general pain) of 12 minutes and 6 seconds

Paramedic Services narrowly missed non-life-threatening response time average by 1%, an expected outcome of the new Medical Priority Dispatch System launched in November 2024. The dispatch system prioritizes and more effectively sends emergency services to life threatening patients, using lights and sirens. This results in clinically safe patients experiencing longer wait times for non-urgent calls. Since the introduction of this system, use of lights and sirens has dropped to 47% from 70%, reducing the risk of collisions, improving road safety for paramedics and the public during emergency responses.

"The Medical Priority Dispatch System is already delivering positive results, helping us prioritize the most critical patients while improving overall efficiency,” said City of Vaughan Regional Councillor Gino Rosati, Chair of Community and Health Services. “Combined with expanded rapidways access, these changes enable York Region Paramedic Services to meet growing demand and continue providing exceptional care.”

York Region’s team of skilled paramedics provide emergency and non-emergency medical response to York Region residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information on York Region Paramedic Services, visit york.ca/Paramedics.

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.29 million residents and 57,000 businesses with approximately 624,000 employees. More information about York Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/RegionalServices.

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Media Contact:

Tamara Ostrowski, Corporate Communications, The Regional Municipality of York
Phone: 1-877-464-9675, ext. 71226 Cell: 905-251-6412
Email: @email