Medavie Health Services West experienced another record year which it attributes to the rapid growth of Saskatoon, along with an increase in mental health / addictions calls that has contributed to this steady increase in call volumes each year. Paramedics responded to 42,125 emergency calls in 2023, an increase of 1,717 responses.

Chief of Saskatoon Paramedic Services Kyle Sereda says in addition to the increase in call volume, another challenge is the violence paramedics are facing when answering calls.  In fact, there were two incidents recently which police were called in to investigate.  November 11th between 5:50 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. paramedics were on scene for what is described as a serious patient which is when the window was smashed. The ambulance was parked on 20th street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

October 31st, shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of 22nd Street West someone tried to steal an ambulance. Paramedics with Medavie Health Services West reported that they had been attending to the patient beside the ambulance when a man, not connected to the situation they were dealing with, got in the ambulance and began to drive away. In the process the ambulance was driven over a paramedic’s foot.

Chief Sereda says one of the challenges, in addition to call volume, is paramedics held up at hospital waiting for a bed to open to transfer the patient into hospital care. Last week the Government of Saskatchewan announced further support for Saskatoon Paramedics by investing 2.6 million annually to support two more fully staffed ambulances, and an additional community paramedic 12 hours a day / 7 days a week.

Medavie says the community paramedicine program, which is the program that has paramedics treat patients in the community as an alternative to transporting patients to hospitals, had a major impact in reducing what could have been a much larger number of emergency responses in 2023. Saskatoon community paramedics also saw a rise in responses from 2,508 in 2022, to 3,623 events in 2023.