Essex-Windsor EMS aiming to hire 30 new part-time paramedics

Essex-Windsor EMS in Windsor, Ont., on Friday, May 27, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Paramedics in Windsor-Essex are dealing with record call volumes.

A report to county council Wednesday night shows Essex-Windsor EMS are expected to see the most calls in the history of the service this year.

Paramedics are projected to be dealing with 68,113 calls in 2023, which would be the most ever seen by the service. That represents a nearly 10 per cent jump from the year prior and follows a four-year trend of climbing call numbers.Essex-Windsor EMS call volume trend from 2016 to 2023. (Source: Essex County Council)

Typically, the service sees call volume growth of about two per cent a year.

EMS Chief Bruce Krauter says that has the service aiming to hire 30 new part-time paramedics to help support that workload and better relieve full-time staff in a region preparing for major growth.

“All of the key partners are at the table trying to address the issue,” says Krauter. “Unfortunately our volumes into the hospital are very high. Windsor-Essex is the region that people are going to be attracted to so, it's only the expectation that our call volume is going to go up so we're going to have the need for more paramedics.”