The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) announced the adoption of a new dispatch system for emergency services in an effort to modernize and make dispatch services more efficient.

Developed in the 1970s, the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is designed to help dispatchers of the Ottawa Central Ambulance Communications Centre better understand the emergency level of a patient and triage them accordingly. Consequently, when a dispatcher receives a 9-1-1 call, the system matches available paramedic resources to a person’s medical condition, ensuring that patients in life-threatening situations receive immediate care.

“The primary objective of the Emergency Services of the UCPR is to provide emergency medical response to all residents. Thanks to this new system, our team of paramedics will be able to better serve the region and, most importantly, travel more quickly to emergencies to provide the right care at the right time,” said Pierre Leroux, Warden of the UCPR.

The Medical Priority Dispatch System will be deployed at the same time in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and the City of Ottawa.

The system will be in place starting April 10.