THUNDER BAY -- While a vast majority of calls paramedics respond to aren't time-sensitive, the ones that are can mean a big difference for patient recovery.
Superior North EMS responds to around 120 sudden cardiac death calls per year, around five per cent of the total calls responded to. Within the city around 64 per cent had a defibrillator applied within six minutes, well above the 50 per cent target. But in the region it was 39 per cent compared to the 45 per cent target. A report to council stated though that a few or even one unusual call can skew those numbers because call volumes are low.
On Monday city council approved a plan to establish one response time target for both the district and the city. By 2016, chief Norm Gale said he wants to see that six-minute response time target hit 60 per cent.
