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A new Medical Tiered Response Agreement will not come this year as Lanark County council want to see how the new dispatch centre will influence call volumes and direction.
The horseshoe also found it hard to justify if it’s worth continuing due to a lack of data on its effectiveness because of privacy laws.
Councillor Richard Kidd thinks the jury’s still out.
The MTRA allows dispatchers to request help from fire departments on specific medical calls if paramedics are tied up or further away.
The four situations where a request can be made are:
1. Vital Signs Absent (VSA);
2. Unconscious Patient;
3. Airway Compromised;
4. Chest Pains.
The program’s been in place in participating municipalities since 2008 and the work has been done to ratify an updated agreement since 2019, including establishing a working group in February.
County Councillor Ed McPherson has always had issues with the MTRA system, going back to his days as LCPS Paramedics chief.
McPherson says PTSD is rampant in the paramedic world and they’re trained professionals, so putting untrained volunteers in stressful situations is inviting more trouble than it’s worth.
He adds he’s had plenty of conversations over the years with volunteer firefighters who won’t respond to specific medical calls due to avoid that mental strain.
Story by Grant Deme
