Winnipeg, MB – Paramedic Services Week is May 18-24, and the City of Winnipeg is recognizing the many specialized paramedics who serve Winnipeg residents every day.
“Paramedics are some of the quiet heroes in our emergency services system,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “They show up in people’s worst moments — when they’re hurt, scared, or sick — and they do it with incredible skill and compassion. I want every paramedic to know how much they are valued and appreciated.”
“I’m incredibly proud of the paramedic team at WFPS. They are not only competent, but also caring, compassionate and committed,” said Christian Schmidt, Fire and Paramedic Chief. “Winnipeggers are lucky to have such a professional team, ready to respond to medical emergencies at a moment’s notice, improve patient outcomes and provide life-saving care.”
The WFPS employs more than 650 licensed paramedics with specialized skills, including the following paramedic positions:
- 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, and start cardiac monitoring.
Advanced Care Paramedics provide advanced life support and respiratory and cardiac procedures, interpret medical information, and administer additional medications for adult and pediatric patients.
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. There is at least one firefighter-paramedic on all fire apparatus crews.
Paramedic Education Training Officers provide in-house and specific training for paramedics at various points in their careers, both in the field and at the WFPS Training Academy.
Paramedic Public Education Coordinator reaches thousands of residents each year to provide prevention and public safety information about substance use and other health concerns.
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.
WFPS provided care in approximately 115,000 medical incidents last year. 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.