On January 1, 2001 the District assumed operational responsibility for the delivery of the Paramedic Services from the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Muskoka Paramedic Services provides professional emergency and non-urgent medical care to residents and visitors across Muskoka. We currently have five Paramedic Stations located in Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Huntsville, MacTier and Port Carling.
In addition to emergency services, we operate the Community Paramedicine (CP) Program designed to help individuals stay in their homes longer by addressing their healthcare needs and connecting them with additional support services.
For current updates, follow Muskoka Paramedic Services on X (formerly Twitter) @MuskokaPS.
Improvements are coming to Paramedic Services in West Muskoka - What does this mean?
In an emergency, getting to you quickly and safely is our top priority.
As part of the Paramedic Services 10-Year Plan, which includes enhancements to coverage in both West and East Muskoka, the physical Paramedic Station building in MacTier no longer meets the changing needs of the community. This means the building will close, but does not mean Paramedics are leaving MacTier. In fact, the fast, safe, and reliable care you expect from Muskoka’s Paramedics will improve with these changes. Please view our latest edition of Between Two Pines for great information about some of the changes in the 10-Year Plan.
View our Community Information Sheet for more details:
On Thursday, October 17th, 2024, we hosted an evening of community conversation at the MacTier Community Centre. To help with understanding the changes underway, we printed some material on presentation boards for discussion. You can view a copy of this material at the following link: MacTier Community Conversation Boards
Answers to your Questions
| Improvements are coming to Paramedic Services in West Muskoka. What does this mean? |
| As part of the Muskoka Paramedic Services 10-Year Master Plan, the physical Paramedic Station building in MacTier no longer meets the changing needs of the community. This means the building will close, but does not mean Paramedics are leaving MacTier. In fact, the fast, safe, and reliable care you expect from Muskoka’s Paramedics will improve with these changes. |
| How does the MacTier PRU ensure faster response times than an ambulance? |
| The PRU remains in the MacTier community allowing it to respond to emergencies quickly. Once the ambulance starts transporting a patient, the PRU stays in MacTier to respond to the next emergency in the village, ensuring continuous local coverage and faster care when it's needed most. |
| Will the MacTier PRU replace ambulances? |
| No, the PRU works alongside ambulances. It provides rapid response and initial care, while ambulances continue to transport patients to hospitals. This dual-response system ensures faster care and efficient patient transport. |
| Why is the PRU model better for MacTier? |
| With 58% of the paramedics' time currently spent outside MacTier, the PRU ensures paramedics remain in the community, responding faster to local emergencies, unlike the current model, where ambulances often leave the area for patient transport. |
| What is the advantage of the PRU staying in MacTier? |
| A qualified Paramedic with a dedicated PRU stays in the village after each call - ready for the next emergency. The PRU is available in the community more often compared to the current ambulance, which leaves the area to transport patients to hospital. |
| Does this change mean fewer Paramedics available to support our community? |
| No. Having a PRU means a Paramedic will be present in MacTier. While the ambulance will serve the broader region, the PRU will deliver rapid care locally, ensuring faster, more efficient emergency response. |
| How is this different from other services leaving the community? |
| Unlike services that may leave due to revenue or seasonality, emergency services are not leaving MacTier. Instead, we're improving them. With the PRU posted in MacTier, paramedics will be more available locally than before, ensuring the community continues to receive the care it needs and expects. |
| Why not leave the County of Simcoe continue to cover the area like they have in the past, instead of making changes within the District? |
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Leaving the County of Simcoe to handle emergency services is not the best option as it limits how well services are tailored to local needs. By making changes within the District, we can create a plan that better addresses the specific needs of Muskoka residents. This approach used advanced planning tools to ensure that paramedic services are reliable and equitable across the area. Additionally, building up local services makes the community less dependent on outside help and ensures that emergency care is more responsive to local needs. This means we can provide better and more consistent emergency services that are designed specifically for people living in Muskoka. |
| Why is the MacTier Paramedic Station closing? |
| The MacTier Paramedic Station will remain operational until late 2025. As part of the District’s 10-Year Master Plan to improve emergency services, the current location no longer meets the growing needs of the area. This closure will not reduce services. This change is about planning for growth, improving efficiency, and ensuring reliable emergency care for residents. |
| Will the closure of the MacTier station reduce emergency service coverage for West Muskoka residents? |
| No. A new Paramedic Response Unit (PRU) will be posted in MacTier to rapidly respond to emergencies. Additionally, a new paramedic station is being built in Glen Orchard, which will further improve response times for the entire region. While the physical station is closing, we are enhancing emergency services to respond to those who need us. In addition, the new Glen Orchard Paramedic Station will help us improve emergency response for west Muskoka by optimizing response times and better accommodating the area's growing needs. |
| What benefits will come from closing the MacTier station? |
| The closure allows us to deploy resources more efficiently. The new PRU in MacTier offers flexible and efficient coverage. It stays in the area and does not need to transport patients to hospitals, allowing it to remain available for more calls. |
| When will the MacTier station close? |
| The MacTier Paramedic Station is expected to close in Fall 2025. This timeline gives us ample time to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuous emergency services in the community throughout the change. |
| Is the PRU able to replace the full service that a Paramedic Station offers? |
| The PRU is part of a broader strategy that includes multiple resources to ensure high-quality emergency care. The PRU allows paramedics to respond rapidly to emergencies and provide critical care on-site. Since it does not transport patients, it remains available for other calls in the area, offering efficient and continuous coverage. For transport needs, ambulances stationed nearby will continue to provide this service, ensuring comprehensive care. |
| Does the closure of MacTier indicate budget cuts to paramedic services? |
| No. In fact, we are investing in improving emergency services by building a new paramedic station and deploying additional resources, like the PRU in MacTier. Our priority is to enhance services and adapt to Muskoka’s growing and changing needs. |
| What area does Southern Georgian Bay include? |
| Southern Georgian Bay covers areas such as White’s Falls, Honey Harbour, and the southern tip of Georgian Bay, where the repositioned 12-hour ambulance will improve coverage. |
| I live outside of MacTier and the current station is the closest Paramedics to my home. What does this change mean for me? |
| In an emergency, the PRU will respond to a call location if it is the closest to the call location regardless of geographic boundaries. Likewise, the closest ambulance is dispatched to an emergency regardless of the municipality operating the service or geographic boundaries. |
| Will the changes result in more mutual responses for the local fire department? |
| No. The changes being made will not result in increases for mutual response for the local fire department. Since the PRU will be posted locally, it is anticipated that mutual assistance responses will be reduced. |
| Won’t the closure of the MacTier Ambulance Station mean longer response times for residents? |
| No, the opposite is expected. Through detailed data modeling, we’ve tested various scenarios, including the introduction of a Paramedic Response Unit (PRU). This model showed that the PRU will improve response times in MacTier. The PRU is smaller, more agile, and quicker to deploy, particularly in rural areas, ensuring faster care. Staying with the current setup would likely result in longer wait times, as demand increases. |
| Why didn’t the District communicate these changes sooner, and how do we know this isn’t just a cost-cutting measure? |
| We acknowledge that communication should have started earlier, and we take responsibility for that. The changes being made are not about cutting costs but about using resources more effectively. The plan prioritizes both improved response times and long-term service sustainability by reallocating resources where they are most needed, not simply reducing services.
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| What data supports the decision to move away from an ambulance station in MacTier? |
| The decision is based on comprehensive data from the Ministry of Health’s Ambulance Dispatch Data Access System. Using a simulation tool, we modeled different resource allocation scenarios. The results showed that positioning a PRU would provide better coverage and faster response times compared to maintaining the current station setup. |
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What happens if the PRU doesn’t perform as expected in MacTier? Will the station reopen? |
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The District’s deployment plan is dynamic, meaning, adjustments are constantly made to deliver the best possible emergency responses. While the MacTier station is scheduled to close, we are committed to evaluating performance over time. If issues arise, the District will explore all necessary adjustments to ensure that service levels meet the community’s needs. |
In an Emergency Call 9-1-1 Immediately