The new chief of Essex-Windsor EMS believes innovation is important to address challenges facing the service.
The County of Essex has announced that Deputy Chief Justin Lammers is being promoted to chief of Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management.
Lammers officially assume the role Oct. 9 while current Chief Bruce Krauter will stay on in an advisory role during the transition as he gets set to retire in early 2024.
He points to resources, staffing and recruitment, and the ability to respond to calls in an appropriate amount of time as some of the biggest issues facing the ambulance service.
Lammers says innovation is a big part of getting into a desirable state and thinking differently about how they do business to respond to the needs of the community.
Push outside of the boundaries that we're currently operating under to think differently about how we deliver emergency medical services, not every patient needs to go to the hospital. Let's make those partnerships, let's make those relationships and let's get people the care they need in the most appropriate place. Reduce the pressure on the emergency departments so they can do the good work they're doing," he says.
In early September, Essex County Council approved the creation of the Offload Assistant Program which will see staff at local hospitals assisting with the offloading of patients to help get ambulances back out on the road, reducing the number of 'code blacks.'
The term code black is used to describe when there are no ambulances available to respond to emergency calls because paramedics are waiting at a hospital to offload the patient.
Lammers says the Ministry of Health and their partners are working well with them and the hospitals.
"We got to think differently about how we do business, no doubt we need to keep pushing recruitment, no doubt we need to make sure our own backyard is nice and tight and we're running the best we can. We've done a good job up until this point but there is still some room to grow and that will be our focus," he says.
Essex-Windsor EMS name Justin Lammers as new chief. (Source: Essex-Windsor EMS)
Lammers says he believes in what they are doing and the team.
"We are in challenging times, most certainly. But we have the talent to make the decisions to get us out of it and do the best we can for the residents," he adds.
Lammers joined Essex-Windsor EMS as a paramedic in 2005 and has held several leadership positions during that time.
He is a graduate of St. Clair College's paramedic program and Georgian College's advanced care paramedic certificate program, and is currently pursuing a bachelor of applied business in emergency services.