Corporation des Urgences Sante du Montreal Metropolitain

Corporation des Urgences Sante du Montreal Metropolitain is Montreal's emergency medical service.

History
City-wide ambulance service was originally introduced by the city's police service (Service de police de la Ville de Montréal) in 1958. Many of the suburban municipalities followed Montréal's lead. Island-wide service was provided when police services were centrailzed under the Montreal Urban Community in 1970. By the late 1970s, however, police ambulance training and equipment had fallen behind contemporary standards and the service was finally withdrawn in 1983.

Urgences Sante was created in December of 1981 by forming a centralized dispatch system for the region's 25 privately-owned ambulance services. The original full name was Centre de Coordination des Urgences Sante. As part of the program, a single telephone number for EMS -- 842-4242 -- was introduced for the entire island of Montreal (and the island of Laval). All private services were forced to use Urgences Sante for dispatch and later, billing. The contracting companies were paid to have ambulances available and also paid on a per-call basis. Consolidation of the private companies and formation of a militant labor organization caused much instability including a strike c.1986.

In 1989 following the transfer of ambulance service to the health and social services department, the system was re-organized.

Organization
There are 1,300 personnel working for the service:


 * 54 paramedics
 * 44 dispatchers
 * 830 EMT
 * 118 office staff
 * 139 unclassified staff
 * 105 support staff

Operations
The EMS operations are divided into geographical operations:


 * East - St-Léonard
 * West - St-Laurent
 * North - Laval

The operations HQ is in Montreal.

Fleet
The city's ambulances are recognized by their distinctive bright yellow colour.


 * 125 ambulances - mostly Type II Ford E350; GMC Top-Kick Type I ambulances
 * 11 supervisor cars - Ford Crown Victoria
 * 13 service vehicles
 * 1 mobile command unit
 * 1 media relations vehicle
 * 1 community relations vehicle
 * 8 other vehicles - multiple patient transport, advance care vehicles
 * 5 trailers