** Thunder Bay, Ontario expecting very steep increase in call volumes
CANADA NEWS
** Ontario paramedics in Thunder Bay could see a 50 per cent hike in call volumes within the next nine years as the average age of the area’s population increases. That is the word from TBnewswatch.com (Gary Rinne/June 15) which said the coming “aging tsunami†prediction was contained in the Superior North EMS long term master plan now being considered by the city council. According to the news site, along with the ageing population, another driver of high 911 calls is a noticeable increase in the public being willing to make a help hail. Mitigation measures include awareness campaigns to reduce unnecessary calls and community paramedic programs. Currently EMS call volumes are rising by 6 per cent each year, with expected stats for 2021 pegged to hit 42,000. By 2030, the annual number could be 65,000.
