Answering your call: Medical Priority Dispatch System

Posted: August 17, 2026
Updated: October 15, 2026

Oxford County Paramedic Services is now using a new system for prioritizing emergency medical calls (not calls for police or fire) received through 911. This will help ensure those with the most serious medical conditions are seen first.

The new system, Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), is an internationally recognized system designed to help prioritize medical emergencies based on urgency.

This system supports faster response to life-threatening emergencies while improving the overall efficiency of emergency medical services.

The Medical Priority Dispatch System is currently used in thousands of dispatch centres around the world and is already being used in other Ontario communities.

Read the full announcement

What stays the same: Reliable ambulance response

When you call 911 for a medical emergency, an emergency communications dispatcher will be there to take your call.

Calls involving life-threatening emergencies, such as cardiac arrest, difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, severe allergic reactions or unconsciousness, will continue to receive the highest priority response, as they do now.

What's changing

• Questions when making a call. When you call 911 for a medical emergency under the new system, you may be asked a few more questions to help dispatchers understand how serious or severe your condition is.
• Wait times for non-urgent conditions. If your needs are less urgent and the demand for paramedic services is high, you may wait longer for an ambulance to arrive. This may be the case for conditions such as flu-like symptoms or sprains.
• More consultation. Callers may also receive instructions over the phone while paramedics are on their way, such as guidance for CPR, choking emergencies, or other urgent medical situations. You may also get a call back to check on your status during longer waits.

How this improves emergency medical care

The new Medical Priority Dispatch System will help Oxford County Paramedic Services continue to meet the emergency medical needs of our community by:

• prioritizing the most critical emergencies;
• improving patient outcomes through more efficient response coordination;
• ensuring the right resources are dispatched to the right calls;
• reducing unnecessary lights-and-sirens responses, improving safety for paramedics and the public; and,
• providing more consistent and evidence-based emergency call assessment.

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