Ottawa made big gains in ambulance availability last year
Off-load delays show some improvement, but not enough, new report shows
The amount of time when there were no Ottawa ambulances available to respond to new calls decreased significantly last year.
The improvement in "level zero" events is noted in a new report from the Ottawa Paramedic Service, tabled ahead of the next meeting of the city's emergency preparedness and protective services committee.
In 2024, the amount of paramedic service time lost during level zero events totalled 190 hours. That's down 79 per cent from the previous year.
By comparison, between 2021 and 2024, the total time lost over the course of a year averaged 624 hours. 2022 was a particularly bad year, with the paramedic service logging 1,217 level-zero hours.
Offload time still lagging
Offload delays at local hospitals — which happen when a paramedic crew can't immediately transfer the care of a patient to hospital staff — continues to be a significant contributor to level zero events, according to the report.
Coun. Riley Brockington, chair of the emergency preparedness and protective services committee, told CBC's All In A Day that in the past, some paramedics have been stuck waiting at hospitals for their whole shifts.
But 2024 saw improvements in off-load times. They've now dropped to three-year lows at all Ottawa-area hospitals.
Last year, the Ottawa Hospital's General and Civic campuses recorded 112.73 and 112.78 minutes of off-load delay, while Montfort Hospital recorded 159.01 minutes.
Brockington said improvements have been made, including shifting to a new 911 dispatch system and having more paramedics assess patients in the field.
Still, both off-load times and the time taken up by level-zero events need to improve further, he said.
The committee will meet to discuss the latest statistics on June 23.
With files from Elyse Skura