Sante had to initiate its Level 3 contingency plan Thursday evening because of the higher-than-normal call volume, and urges the public to avoid calling 911 in non-emergency situations.
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Between 5:42 pm and 7:40 pm, there were a lot of calls, mainly for people who had fallen on sidewalks or roadsides due to ice.
While it usually handles 40 to 50 calls per hour, the figure rose to 115 per hour by early evening.
About 1,200 calls have been received since Thursday morning.
So Urgenz Sante urges people to call 911 only if someone is in fear of their life.
“If ever a life is in danger, don't hesitate, we will call 911, but if ever we can wait a little bit, we can make an appointment at a clinic or dial 811, you will talk to a qualified nurse who will give you valuable advice to take care of the situation,” Urgens Sande said in a post on Facebook. refers to Help us take better care of you.
The use of a level 3 contingency plan is very rare.
In order to have the maximum number of employees, paramedics who have to finish their work day should be on duty as managers.
The situation calmed down around 8:30 pm when the contingency plan was back on level 2.
Watch the full explanation in the video above
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