Winnipeg, MB – The City of Winnipeg is marking Paramedic Services Week, May 21-27, by recognizing the many specialized paramedics who serve Winnipeg residents every day.
“Paramedics are on the front-line, responding to emergency calls and providing life-saving care each and every day to the citizens of Winnipeg,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “Paramedic Services Week is an opportunity to celebrate the hard work and professionalism of paramedics in our city and thank them for the services they provide.”
“We don’t often stop to think about the wide range of medical emergencies any of us could face,” said Christian Schmidt, Fire and Paramedic Chief. “WFPS has a mix of specialized paramedics who can respond to medical emergencies and provide industry-leading care in any situation they encounter.”
WFPS employs more than 650 licensed paramedics with specialized skills including the following:
- Firefighter Primary Care Paramedics
- Primary Care Paramedics
- Advanced Care Paramedics
- Advanced Care Paramedic Practitioners
- District Chiefs and Platoon Chiefs of Paramedic Operations
- Community Paramedics
- Tactical Emergency Medical Services
Paramedics in Winnipeg can arrive at an emergency scene on an ambulance or a fire apparatus and immediately start to provide care. All paramedics can treat wounds and fractures, provide life support, give medications, start cardiac monitoring.
Advanced Care Paramedics provide advanced life support and respiratory and cardiac procedures, interpret medical information, and administer additional medications.
Advanced Care Paramedic Practitioners provide specialized care for emergency childbirth, babies, and children, as well as certain airway procedures.
District Chiefs of Operations offer mentorship, leadership and coordination to all paramedics in the field.
Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) Paramedics are specialty-trained to work directly with the Winnipeg Police Service to provide care in hostile situations.
Firefighter-Paramedics are licensed primary care paramedics. In addition to extinguishing fires, they also attend medical calls for service, providing pre-hospital care for injured and ill patients.
Paramedic training professionals provide in-house and specific training for paramedics at various points in their careers, both in the field and at the WFPS Training Academy. The Paramedic Public Education Coordinator reaches thousands of residents each year to provide prevention and public safety information about substance use and other health concerns.
And Community Paramedics help to provide primary care services and support to vulnerable residents. Paramedics with the Emergency Paramedic in the Community (EPIC) program visit vulnerable patients where they are in their communities to help break down barriers to primary care. Community Paramedics work 24/7 at the Main Street Project and WPS Central Processing unit, assessing individuals entering and leaving the protective care facility and providing primary care to residents within the shelter system. The Enhanced Low Acuity Triage (ELAT) program sees Community Paramedics provide secondary 9-1-1 triage services to low acuity patients who could safely benefit from other transportation methods to hospital or other services in the community.
“I express my immense gratitude to the entire paramedic team for playing a vital role in serving Winnipeg residents in the moments they need help the most. Despite the many challenges they face on a daily basis, WFPS paramedics continue to respond to emergencies with compassion, integrity, and a high level of professionalism,” said Schmidt.
WFPS provided care in approximately 165,000 responses last year, which averages to more than 450 responses per day. This includes calls for service initiated through the 9-1-1 system, inter-facility transports (moving patients from one medical facility to another) and patient interactions in our Community Paramedic programs.