All ambulances in the provincial fleet are being fitted with automated vehicle location (AVL) units, a $550,000 investment to improve central dispatching, support timely patient care and ensure the safe operation and maintenance of these vehicles, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced.
“Every minute counts in an EMS response and these new AVL units will help our ambulance crews get where they’re needed quickly and safely,” said Oswald. “There are also benefits for our EMS system as a whole, since this strategic investment will improve fleet efficiency.”
The new system will connect all provincial ambulances with central dispatching services at the Medical Transportation Co-ordination Centre (MTCC) in Brandon. The AVL units offer many advantages that will support EMS professionals as they provide critical care to Manitobans including:
• identifying the closest ambulance that can respond to an incoming call most quickly,
• helping paramedics find the location of a call in real-time and informing them of road closures or other delays,
• improving patient and crew safety through real-time updates to MTCC on location and speed, and
• enhancing the fleet’s reliability and efficiency through accurate and consistent monitoring of each vehicle.
The units provide real-time data back to MTCC including the location of all units, speed, direction, fuel consumption, mileage and whether lights and sirens are in use. This information will be used to better manage the fleet and will help identify strategic investments for the fleet.
After installation, the province estimates the annual ongoing cost of the AVL system will be $165,000. There are currently 164 ambulances in the provincial fleet. Over the next year, another nine new vehicles will be added to the fleet and fitted with an AVL unit.
