Essex-Windsor EMS says a new ambulance dispatch system launching next month will help get paramedics to the region’s most critical calls faster. The Medical Priority Dispatch System, or MPDS, goes live Sept. 16. The province-wide system uses more detailed questioning by ambulance communications officers to better determine the severity of a medical emergency before assigning a response. Speaking on AM800’s The Shift with guest host Michelle Maluske, EMS Chief Justin Lammers said the current system only has two response categories, but the new model expands that to five levels, helping ensure ambulances remain available for life-threatening emergencies. “In 2025 we had about 68,000 responses. 70 per cent of those were lights and sirens, and in reality, when we got to the scene, only about 17 per cent of those calls actually required that level of response,” Lammers said. He says other Ontario paramedic services have already seen results from the new system. “When we look at our colleagues at let’s say Simcoe Paramedic Service in their first year on MPDS, they saw a reduction of 37 per cent in lights and sirens responses. What that does is allows you to use your resources more efficiently,” he said. Because calls will be prioritized more precisely, some people with less urgent medical issues could wait longer for an ambulance when resources are stretched. Lammers says that’s by design and allows crews to remain available for patients facing life-threatening emergencies. “It holds back the low acuity calls and allows us to leave ambulances on the road for the life-threatening emergencies, which, when we look across the province at the services that have switched, they’re seeing improvements in the response times because resources are available,” he said. Lammers says ambulance communications officers will continue monitoring patients who are waiting and can upgrade a call if a condition worsens. He adds Essex-Windsor EMS had originally been scheduled to receive MPDS in Feb. 2027, but local advocacy helped move the rollout ahead.
