Self-Guiding Tour

#14    Medical Services

The Winnipeg Fire Department has been providing medical services to Winnipeg since the early 1910s.

In the 1910’s, Winnipeg had a St. Johns Ambulance first aid team. This team was comprised of firefighters, most of whom joined voluntarily, who were taught first aid, and were able to provide care to victims rescued from fires before they were transported by the police service’s “ambulance”.

In the early 1930’s with the hiring of a drill instructor, first aid began to be taught regularly on a monthly basis to all firefighters.

In the early 1940’s, a few private ambulance services popped up in Winnipeg but were more of a taxi service than an ambulance service as most were only staffed with a driver who only needed to have a chauffeur license and basic first aid. These ambulances required payment before a patient was driven to the hospital.

In 1949, the Winnipeg Fire Department acquired an enclosed rescue squad that doubled as an ambulance. This truck was equipped with oxygen, five firefighters fully trained in first aid, as well as a large cache of medical supplies – and the service was free.

By 1961, there were 16 private ambulances (of which only 29% had an attendant trained in first aid), four police ambulances (also underequipped), and three fire department rescue squads; one of which could fit up to six patients at a time. Because of pressure from private ambulances, the fire department’s rescue squads were ordered by city council to only transport patients if another ambulance wasn’t available. This order was mostly ignored for the benefit of citizens.

In 1974, all private ambulances combined to form into the Winnipeg Ambulance Service (WAS). Because of poor equipment and planning, ambulances were stationed out of a few stations mostly located in the core of the city, resulting in 20+ minute response times. With the creation of this municipal ambulance service, the fire department ceased responding to medical calls until the 1980’s.

In the early 1980’s, the idea of a merger between the fire department and ambulance service was brought forward. Although this idea ultimately fell apart, firefighters had begun training as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). In 1982, the fire department created the first responder program where firefighters who had been crossed trained to the “EMT” level would respond to medical calls in areas where ambulances took more than nine minutes to respond. This was created in part because 95% of Winnipeggers who suffered heart attacks died. This program morphed into what we know it as today, where every fire truck in Winnipeg has at least one firefighter cross trained as a paramedic to be able to start advanced medical care before an ambulance arrives.

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