‘Get to the bottom of what the potential urgency is:’ Durham paramedics implement new dispatch protocol

Local ambulance dispatch operators are changing how they answer 9-1-1 calls. The Region of Durham Paramedic Services and Oshawa Central Ambulance Communications Centre will now be adopting, what’s known as, the medical priority dispatch system. The region says it’s a new script that is already in use in other cities across the country. It will allow operators to more accurately discern the nature of the phone call. With a more specific line of questioning, the aim is to keep emergency services from being tied up unnecessarily. The new system was implemented on May 21.