Emergency Medical Services

Time is of the essence when there's a serious medical emergency. A critically ill or injured person needs medical treatment as soon as possible to optimize recovery. Peterborough Fire Services is incorporated into Peterborough's overall emergency medical system through a tiering program to ensure a speedy response to people who need emergency medical services. Our first responders combine speed with the various life support skills and equipment that's necessary to offer the best patient care possible.

When we arrive at a scene, we stabilize the patient and initiate care, maintaining the patient or patients until they're assessed by Peterborough Paramedics. We assist with preparing the patient for transport. We may provide further support by having a firefighter help with treatment on the way to the hospital.

We recently undertook a unique program to certify our firefighters as Basic Trauma Life Support providers. Our training in patient assessment, stabilization, resuscitative techniques, and oxygen therapy allow us to provide initial emergency care for a broad range of emergencies including:

• Heart attacks
• Shock
• Diabetic reactions
• Seizures
• Severe bleeding
• Traumatic injury
• Cardiac arrest

Peterborough was one of the first cities in Ontario to train its firefighters in defibrillation and has carried defibrillators on all its front-line Fire Services vehicles since the 1990s. The defibrillators have been highly successful life-saving devices.