The Ontario government is looking at using firefighters as first responders in medical situations.
Interested municipalities could potentially use firefighters certified as paramedics to respond to less severe medical emergencies.
Essex Fire Chief Rick Arnel says the pilot project would most likely be centred in larger municipalities with full-time firefighters.
"The provincial government has allowed for a pilot project to take place. It's probably going to be a couple of large urban centres within the province to take on the duties of having paramedics on their fire trucks."
With firefighters often being first on scene, Arnel says the logic behind the idea is sound.
"As we know, we need to take care of patients. By getting there sooner and being able to provide medical assistance to somebody in need, the sooner you get there the better it is. This will be a pilot project to see whether or not it would be beneficial to do something like that."
Arnel says even though smaller centres like Essex don't have full-time fire fighters, it won't close the door on adopting the practice if it's proven effective.
"We can't take any options and not put them on the table. If we can enhance patient care, if we can do a better job for our residents in our municipalities and it's cost efficient, it's the right thing to do."
The project is still being finalized by the province and Arnel believes it'll likely be several months before it's launched.
- with files from AM800's Ricardo Veneza