District of Sault Ste. Marie Paramedic Services
Sault Ste. Marie Paramedic Services is committed to preserving life, alleviating suffering, and promoting health and wellness for residents and visitors of Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area.
At full complement, our service is made up of over 100 staff, including full-time and part-time paramedics, management, and administrative staff, who deliver provincially mandated emergency medical services 24/7 to a population of around 80,000, responding to over 24,000 calls per year.
Deployment & Operations
Our fleet includes 22 vehicles, including 13 ambulances, six Community Paramedic vehicles, and three emergency response vehicles.
We operate from the below stations:
- Regional Emergency Services Complex (RESC) – 65 Old Garden River Rd.
- Sault Ste. Marie Fire Station 1 – 72 Tancred St. (Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services)
- Garden River First Nation Base – 33 Shingwauk St. (Garden River Fire Department)
- Goulais River Satellite Station – 240 Old Highway 17 Rd. (Goulais Fire & Rescue)
Our Service is also anticipating a new station at Bennett/Boundary in 2026.
Paramedic deployment adjusts to meet demand throughout the day.
Peak periods: Nine emergency response vehicles (eight ambulances in city, one in Garden River, 1 Paramedic Response Unit in Sault North – Goulais River).
Off-peak periods: Six emergency response vehicles (five ambulances in the city, one in Garden River).
DSSAB Paramedic Services operates a dynamic deployment model to maintain balanced emergency coverage across the district.
Crews start their shifts at one of four stations: Tancred, RESC, Garden River, and Sault North, but ambulances are not fixed to those locations. As calls occur, units move throughout the service area, and Dispatch repositions resources to ensure the closest available ambulance responds.
When one station’s ambulances are tied up, units from other zones shift to fill gaps. Although most responses originate from RESC, Garden River, and Goulais River, paramedics may respond from wherever they are located after completing a call.
If emergency capacity allows, units may also complete non-urgent patient transfers.
Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS)
Effective April 15, 2026, Paramedic Services in the District of Sault Ste. Marie, along with Ambulance Communication Officers at the Sault Ste. Marie Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC), will implement the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS).
MPDS is an evidence-based medical triage system that improves how 911 calls are assessed and how paramedic resources are dispatched. It helps ensure that the most urgent calls receive the fastest response, while matching each call to the appropriate level of care.
What does this mean for people who call 911?
Calling 911 remains the same.
Residents should continue to call 911 for life-threatening medical emergencies, including cardiac or stroke symptoms, loss of consciousness, severe bleeding, major trauma, and any other serious medical emergency.
Callers may notice Ambulance Communication Officers asking more detailed questions about the patient’s condition and location. These questions help determine how urgent the situation is and ensure the right response is sent.
For non-life-threatening situations, response times may vary depending on patient condition and system demand. Ambulance Communication Officers will remain in contact and provide instructions or updates as needed.
What is MPDS?
The Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is the professional standard used in thousands of ambulance communications centres worldwide, and is being implemented across Ontario as part of the Province’s Your Health Plan.
It is designed to prioritize the most urgent calls, match paramedic response to clinical need, improve patient safety, support safer emergency driving practices, and help ensure paramedics are available for the most critical emergencies.
Leadership
- Kate Kirkham – Chief
- Dan Langevin – Deputy Chief, Quality Assurance, Professional Standards & Training
- Jeff Bowen – Deputy Chief, Operations
- Julie Cole – Commander of Community Paramedicine
- Steve Olsen – Commander
- David Culina – Commander
- Kathryn Bobbie – Commander
- Paul Hendrie – Commander
- Kylie Pratt – Platoon Superintendent
- Shane Macfarlane – Platoon Superintendent
- Ian Klingenberg – Platoon Superintendent
- Sandy Norris – Platoon Superintendent
District of Sault Ste. Marie Paramedic Services (DSSMPS),
65 Old Garden River Road, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6B 5A5
Administration Line: 705-963-0251