Urgences-Sante dispatchers in Laval and Montreal coming off busy week during ice storm

Emergency medical dispatchers are coming off one of the busiest weeks of the year, just in time for "Quebec Emergency Telecommunications Operator Week."

Urgences-Sante, which operates in Montreal and Laval, had a huge increase in calls during the April 5 ice storm.

"A typical day is 900 calls; during the ice storm, the calls totalled 1,400 a day," said Urgences-Sante supervisor Stephanie Ogé. "Those types of days are very adrenalin driven."

"It has been a few very busy days for our staff both our paramedics on the road as well as our emergency medical dispatchers," said Chantal Comeau, head of communications for Urgences-Sante.

From injuries to accidents to carbon monoxide poisoning, each call is different, and Ogé said they need to be prioritized quickly.

"We have different types of paramedic crews that are available around the territory that can be deployed at any given time," she said.

Supervisor Raphael Messier said it was "all hands on deck" at the dispatch centre during the ice storm.

"Everybody was onsite, everybody was working with us," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people coming in with a towel, taking a shower at work, but they were working as hard as you can imagine, especially since we had so many calls last week."

Last week was exceptional, yet a slow day is a rarity.

"Taking care of patients, taking care of the community, it's very empathy driven," said Ogé.

Messier said it's a tough job some days for his staff who need to deal with people in high-stress situations.

"[When they're] having a hard time with a caller and see them being affected," he said.

Comeau said to share the load Urgences-Sante hired 30 new staff for this call centre in the past year, with an aim to hire another 60 next year.

"The hiring that we're doing for our medical dispatchers as well as paramedics, we always try to hire people that represent the population that we serve," she said.

It's not an easy task given the ongoing labour shortage in Quebec, especially as Urgences-Sante serves 2.5 million people on the island of Montreal and in Laval.