• Yes, there are some major differences but there are also some similarities.
• Some of the differences involve seniority, benefits, vacation, sick time, overtime, lieu time, shift bonus and leaves.

• Once an employee moves to part-time, there is a three-month reversion period where the employee may choose to go back to full-time or the Division may decide to move the employee back to full-time.
• Once past the three-month period, an employee must remain part-time for at least two (2) years.
• After two years has elapsed, an employee may only move back to full-time if there is availability in a full-time position. Movement will be considered in order of seniority (number of regular hours worked).

• Full-time employees’ seniority is calculated in years. These years of seniority will be converted into hours (1 year equals 2080 and so on). Seniority is earned through regular scheduled hours. This does not include overtime.

• Part-time employees who have passed probation are entitled to 14% in-lieu of benefits provided by the City including statutory holiday pay and bereavement. However, as a full-time employee you are enrolled in the OMERS pension plan and, as such, the percent in lieu of benefits is reduced to 7%.

• You will book-off as you do now.
• Sick time is unpaid.
• You will have to book-fit with Scheduling no less than eight (8) hours prior to the start of the next shift you are scheduled to work.
• Medical notes are required when an employee is absent for two (2) or more consecutive shifts and the note will be furnished seven days from the commencement of the illness.

• If you are NOT scheduled to work a statutory holiday, you will not receive any pay for the Stat. This is currently included in the 7% in lieu of benefits.
• If you are scheduled to work on a statutory holiday, you will be paid at one and a half times your rate of pay.

• You will receive time-off based on the same parameters that are in the full-time agreement; however, this will be an unpaid leave. The monetary value is included in the 7% in lieu of benefits.

• Parental and pregnancy leaves will be granted, however, there is no top-up.
• An employee will still be covered by unemployment (if they have worked the required number of weeks).

• You will receive a shift bonus of $1.04 and it will only be paid on every hour scheduled for those shifts where the majority of hours fall after 1800 hours or 6 p.m. This is basically any p.m. block.

• Part-time employees will be authorized for three (3) ill dependent days. These days will be unpaid.

• All off-duty requirements at court or coroner’s inquest appearances that arise due to employment are paid at straight time for time required. Minimum – three (3) hours.

• Sick time is one of the benefits included in the 14% in lieu of benefits.
• Should you require to book-off ill, this time will be unpaid.
• Should you still have a paid sick bank that is locked-in, it will remain locked until such time that you retire or resign. It will not be available to use.

• After one full year of service you will be entitled to request two (2) weeks off on vacation. These requests will follow a similar seniority process at the time when vacations are booked.
• However, instead of vacation time, you will receive VSP – this is a percentage based on the number of hours that you have worked. For example, up to 1040 hour an employee is entitled to 4% VSP added to their wages.
• If vacation is earned for the year and not yet used, it will be paid out on a pro-rated basis as per the Collective Agreement 13.07(b)
• If you move to part-time prior to earning vacation that you have already used, it will have to be reimbursed to the City as per Collective Agreement 13.07(b) 

• Part-time staff are not eligible to accumulate lieu time.
• Any time that has been accumulated in a lieu bank will be paid out to the employee who moves from full-time to part-time.

• Part-time employees will receive overtime for any time worked greater than their 12-hour shift. This includes start and end of shift.
• Also, if the part-time employee works more than 240 hours in six (6) weeks any hours greater than the 240 will be paid at the overtime rate of time and one-half.
• This overtime can only be taken as pay.

• As with swing staff, employees will be assigned geographically to either east or west.
• Part-time employees are not following any schedule nor will they be assigned to any colour code.

• Until the end of the present contract, all shifts will be 12 hours in length.
• There are two different periods – peak and non-peak
• The peak period is defined as the time between the pay period that includes the 24^th of May weekend up to and including the pay period that includes Thanksgiving. In addition, the pay period prior to the pay that includes Christmas up to the pay period that includes New Year’s is also considered a peak period. All other time is considered the non-peak period.
• During the peak period, you must provide the Division with 18 shifts of availability per cycle and during the non-peak period you must provide 12 shifts of availability per cycle.

• There are rules for providing your availability.
• All availability will be communicated to the Scheduling Unit via a portal on the Scheduling website.
• Failure to provide appropriate availability by the cut-off date could lead to termination.

• This is affected by the 4:1 ratio of full-time to part-time paramedics.
• Full-time Paramedics that might need to be laid-off will have the option to drop down to part-time.
• Part-time Paramedics will be laid off in reverse order of seniority.

A2. Yes. The Fit2Sit program does not eliminate any of the requirements set out in the BLS Patient Care Standards. The Memorandum of Agreement between TPS and participating hospitals allows the triage report to be split into three components rather than one long verbal report.

A3. Between December 6, 2022 and January 16, 2023:

* 566 patients were enrolled in Fit2Sit with documented tracking numbers.
* Only 3.1% of total audited calls required further clarification and or investigation.
* One patient was flagged at triage as being outside of the program criteria. The call was reviewed and found the patient had met criteria at time of TOC. The patient was appropriately triaged and treated based on the new presentation.

A4. No. The Paramedic is expected to present themselves to the next available triage nurse. They are not to interrupt a nurse if they are actively triaging a patient and they are to be professional and courteous at all times. The verbal report and completed card are designed to cause minimal intrusion to the triage nurse and flow of patients in the emergency department.

A5. Fit2Sit does not require the triage nurse to accept the patient. In the agreed upon process the Paramedic is only required to identify the patient as Fit2Sit and provide the verbal report and Fit2Sit card to the triage nurse. If there is disagreement between the Paramedic and the triage nurse that cannot be resolved, please contact your Superintendent or the Deputy Commander for assistance.

A6. Fit2Sit empowers Paramedics to make the decision to offload appropriate patients to the ED waiting rooms, where hospital staff are expected to be responsible for the patient, as they would be for any other walk-in patient.

A7. Paramedics should inform the patient of the Fit2Sit process prior to the arrival at the hospital. This may need to be reiterated once triage has been completed to ensure the patient understands the process. Adhering to the Fit2Sit criteria will help safeguard Paramedics from complaints regarding the patient’s final location in the ED. Paramedics are encouraged to contact a Superintendent if they have any concerns following a call.

A8. Hospital Transfer of Care (HTOC) occurs immediately after the Paramedic provides the verbal report and hands the Fit2Sit card to the triage nurse. Paramedic TOC (PTOC) should be declared immediately following this process.

A9. No. The BLS standards state that the paramedic shall “for all CTAS 3-5 patients transport the patient to and from the ambulance using the appropriate lift, carry or ambulatory assistance with respect to the situation, the patient’s clinical condition, or for patient comfort”1 This means that, if appropriate for the situation, a patient may remain ambulatory throughout the transport.

A10. No. Paramedics are to follow the same standard of practice as with any other patient they treat. Blood sugars are taken if hypoglycemia is suspected or is being ruling out. A blood sugar is not required for Fit2Sit patients unless there is clinical evidence to support taking one.

A11. Paramedics are to fill out the Fit2Sit section on the ePCR as follows:

• Does not meet Fit2sit criteria
  * Select this if patient is excluded due to CTAS or inclusion/exclusion criteria
• Patient enrolled in Fit2Sit
  * Select if the patient is left in the main waiting room to self-triage and short verbal report + Fit2Sit Paramedic Report was left with the triage nurse
  ****Enter tracking number****
• Not enrolled but meets Fit2Sit criteria
  * Patient meets the Fit2Sit Criteria however you triage the patient as per our normal practice
  ** Document brief explanation and why patient not enrolled

A12. There may be times where a patient meets the Fit2Sit criteria however they are not suitable to be left to self-triage. Paramedics are asked to provide an explanation on why it was not appropriate for the patient to self-triage. This provides valuable insight for program evaluation and may lead to changes if common trends are identified.

A13. The three most common errors noted in Fit2Sit documentation are:

•  Patient being marked as “Enrolled in Fit2Sit” and without a tracking number entered.
•  Patient being marked as “Enrolled in Fit2Sit” when the Paramedic triaged the patient as per our normal practice.
  * These patients are to be documented with a final disposition of a room or bed and not the waiting room.
• Patients fall outside of the age criteria and are unaccompanied.
  * If a patient is outside of the age criteria but accompanied by another party, please be sure to document this in the ePCR.

A14. If there are no Fit2Sit cards in the ambulance, please contact a District or Hospital Task Force Superintendent for replacement cards.

LINK TO MEMO

The Binder Lift and the Doty Belt are patient lifting devices identified by the Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Committee as potentially reducing MSD injuries associated with lifts off the ground.

Based on past experience with field trials of equipment that is not used on every call, a minimum of two six-week cycles is required to gather sufficient data for review. If necessary, the trial will be extended.

Equipment Committee members will have access to trial each device for a minimum of six weeks (one cycle) each. The field trial began on January 25, 2023.

Participation in the field trial is voluntary; however, if an Equipment Committee member suggests a device, we encourage staff to participate and provide feedback. Your feedback is critical in order for the Equipment Committee to make recommendations on these devices.

Paramedics should follow current protocols for lift assistance, as required.

Use and feedback by the end-user in their work environment is an excellent way to gather data on effectiveness of a product or device. A field trial is one way to accomplish this. Toronto Paramedic Services is committed to obtaining meaningful staff feedback prior to field deployment of new equipment, where possible.

Following completion of the trial, the results will be reviewed by the Equipment Committee and a recommendation will be made to Senior Staff.

Paramedics who use one of the devices deployed for the field trial are asked to complete an online survey which can be accessed by scanning the QR code, or clicking the link below:
https://s.cotsurvey.chkmkt.com/?e=303803&h=2682CFF219F3FEB&l=en

A1. The Raizer II Mobile Lifting Chair is a single operator, battery-powered device that is designed to lift an uninjured person from the floor to a sitting or standing position without any physical lifting.

A2. The device consists of two components: the battery-powered seat module and a backpack for the legs and back of the chair. The total weight of the device is 13kg.

A3. Based on past experience with other field trails of equipment that is not used on every call, a minimum of two (2) six-week cycles is expected to gather sufficient data for review. The trial will be extended to gather more data if required.

A4. Initially, the device will be available for use at the various Community Paramedic-Led Clinics. Home visits during clinic hours may result in the need for the device to be used in the response to a non-traumatic lift assist. It is anticipated that the Raizer II Mobile Lifting Chair will be deployed in future Community Paramedicine program initiatives in 2023.

A5. No. Paramedics in 911 Operations attending emergency calls should follow current protocols for lift assistance as required.

A6: Following completion of the trial, the results will be reviewed by the Equipment Committee.  

A2. In Phase 2 Paramedics will no longer have to wait to give a full triage report and room assignment before Hospital Transfer of Care (HTOC) occurs.

• Paramedics will provide a brief verbal report.
• TPS and hospitals have agreed that HTOC occurs once the verbal report and Fit2Sit Paramedic Report are provided to the triage nurse.
• Paramedics will be able to tactfully move to the front of the triage line to present their verbal report and Fit2Sit Paramedic Report to the next available triage nurse. This is designed to decrease triage delay.

A3. Yes. The Fit2Sit program does not eliminate any of the requirements set out in the BLS Patient Care Standards. Paramedics provide the required information in their brief verbal report with additional information being supplied in the Fit2Sit Paramedic report as well as the patient during their self-triage process.

A4. Not quite. Due to differences in physical layout and pre-triage expectations, the process will vary slightly at each hospital. In support, each hospital will have a specific Fit2Sit process poster located by the regular ambulance ED entrance. In addition, there is a QR code located on posters in the back of the ambulance and on the MobiCAD, as well as pocket reference cards that will provide Paramedics access to an electronic database that lists all participating hospitals and their associated Fit2Sit processes.

A5. Yes. TPS is working closely with the participating hospitals to communicate changes and expectations of Fit2Sit Phase 2. TPS will also be providing information sessions to the triage nurses at each site to ensure a clear understanding of the process.

A6. No. While Paramedics are not to interrupt a nurse if they are already actively triaging another patient, they may tactfully insert themselves ahead of others waiting for the next available triage nurse.  The verbal report and completed Fit2Sit Paramedic Report are designed to cause minimal interruption to the triage nurse and flow of patients in the emergency department.

A7. As long as the patient continues to meet the inclusion criteria/pertinent negatives, they are a candidate for the Fit2Sit program.

A8. Yes. During Phase 2 of the program, Paramedics should declare their patient as Fit2Sit when requesting a hospital destination.  The Patient Distribution System (PDS) will indicate to the hospital that the incoming patient is Fit2Sit. Hospital updates should continue to follow SOP 03.06.41 (Notification of Receiving Hospital) and are not typically required for CTAS 3-5 patients.

A9. When Fit2Sit Phase 2 launches, Paramedics will be assigned a hospital destination based on the current PDS rules. Paramedics may be assigned a hospital that has not yet launched Phase 2 of Fit2Sit as not all hospitals will be prepared to launch on the same date. Paramedics are to follow the Fit2Sit program (Phase 1 or 2) that is currently active at the hospital they are assigned to.

A10. The Fit2Sit criteria allows Paramedics to safely offload appropriate patients to the ED waiting rooms. The hospital is responsible for patients in their waiting room. Patients being offloaded to the waiting room must meet all Fit2Sit criteria.

A11. Paramedics will need to inform the patient of the Fit2Sit process prior to arrival at the hospital. This may need to be reiterated throughout the process to ensure the patient clearly understands what is happening. Adherence to Fit2Sit criteria will safeguard Paramedics from complaints regarding the patient’s final location in the ED. Paramedics are encouraged to contact a Superintendent if they have any concerns following a call.

A12. In Phase 2, HTOC occurs immediately after Paramedics provide the brief verbal report and Fit2Sit Paramedic Report to the triage nurse. Paramedic TOC (PTOC) should be declared immediately following this process.

A13. Fit2Sit empowers and supports Paramedics to make the decision to offload appropriate patients to the ED waiting rooms, and hospital staff are expected to be aware of this. If there is a disagreement between the Paramedic and the triage nurse, the Paramedic will stay with the patient and complete their regular triage process. Paramedics may have to move to the designated ambulance triage area if this differs from the location of the Fit2Sit Phase 2 triage area. Paramedics will document on their ePCR “patient meets Fit2Sit/not enrolled” and document the disagreement by the nurse in the section If not enrolled Fit2Sit. Reason?

A14. No. The MOH standards state that CTAS 3-5 patients must be transported “to and from the ambulance using the appropriate lift, carry or ambulatory assistance with respect to the situation, the patient’s clinical condition, or for patient comfort.”¹ This means that, if appropriate for the situation, a patient may remain ambulatory throughout the transport.

A15. Yes. TPS has a Quality Assurance program in place that was specifically designed for the Fit2Sit Phase 2 program which is overseen by TPS Professional Standards Unit.

A16. Currently we are working with all Toronto hospitals (EXCLUDING SickKids), to finalize this process. The participating sites will be confirmed when the “GO LIVE” date is announced.  TPS will launch Fit2Sit Phase 2 with the hospitals that are ready for the pilot. Other sites may join at later dates, once their hospital is ready. This is a collaborative initiative between Toronto area hospitals and Toronto Paramedic Services.

A17. No. Paramedics should follow the same standard of practice as with any other patient they treat. A blood sugar is not required for a Fit2Sit patient unless there is clinical evidence to support taking one.

A18. Yes. Several other services within the province are currently using a Fit2Sit program with great success. Not all Fit2Sit programs throughout the province are the same and not all have progressed to a program design where a patient can self-triage.

A19. We are working with our multimedia team to develop public messaging regarding the Fit2Sit program.

• Yes there are some major differences but there are also some similarities.
• Some of the differences involve seniority, benefits, vacation, sick time, overtime, lieu time, shift bonus and leaves.

• Once an employee moves to part time – there is a three-month reversion period where the employee may choose to go back to full time or the Division may decide to move the employee back to full time.
• Once past the three-month period, an employee must remain part time for at least two (2) years.
• After two years has elapsed, an employee may only move back to full time if there is availability in a full-time position. Movement will be considered in order of seniority (number of regular hours worked).

• Full-time employees’ seniority is calculated in years. These years of seniority will be converted into hours (1 year equals 2080 and so on). Seniority is earned through regular scheduled hours. This does not include overtime.

• Part-time employees who have passed probation are entitled to 14% in-lieu of benefits provided by the City including statutory holiday pay and bereavement.  However, as a full-time employee you are enrolled in the OMERS pension plan and, as such, the percent in lieu of benefits is reduced to 7%.

• You will book off as you do now.
• Sick time is unpaid.
• You will have to book fit with Scheduling no less than eight (8) hours prior to the start of the next shift you are scheduled to work.
• Medical notes are required when an employee is absent for two (2) or more consecutive shifts and the note will be furnished seven days from the commencement of the illness.

• If you are NOT scheduled to work a statutory holiday you will not receive any pay for the Stat. This is currently included in the 7% in lieu of benefits.
• If you are scheduled to work on a statutory holiday you will be paid at one and a half-times your rate of pay.

• You will receive time off based on the same parameters that are in the full-time agreement; however this will be an unpaid leave. The monetary value is included in the 7% in lieu of benefits.

• Parental and pregnancy leaves will be granted, however there is no top up.
• An employee will still be covered by unemployment (if they have worked the required number of weeks).

• You will receive a shift bonus of $1.04 and it will only be paid on every hour scheduled for those shifts where the majority of hours fall after 1800 hours or 6 p.m.  This is basically any pm block.

• Part-time employees will be authorized for three (3) ill dependent days. These days will be unpaid.

• All off-duty requirements at court or coroner’s inquest appearances that arise due to employment are paid at straight time for time required. Minimum — three (3) hours.

• Sick time is one of the benefits included in the 14% in lieu of benefits.
• Should you require to book off ill, this time will be unpaid.
• Should you still have a paid sick bank that is locked in, it will remain locked until such time that you retire or resign. It will not be available to use.

• After one full year of service you will be entitled to request two (2) weeks off on vacation. These requests will follow a similar seniority process at the time when vacations are booked.
• However instead of vacation time you will receive VSP – this is a percentage based on the number of hours that you have worked. For example – up to 1040 hour an employee is entitled to 4% VSP added to their wages.
• If vacation is earned for the year and not yet used – it will be paid out on a pro-rated basis as per the Collective Agreement 13.07(b)
• If you move to part time prior to earning vacation that you have already used – it will have to be reimbursed to the City as per Collective Agreement 13.07 (b) 

• Part-time staff are not eligible to accumulate lieu time.
• Any time that has been accumulated in a lieu bank will be paid out to the employee who moves from full time to part time.

• Part-time employees will receive overtime for any time worked greater than their 12-hour shift. This includes start and end of shift.
• Also, if the part-time employee works more than 240 hours in six (6) weeks any hours greater than the 240 will be paid at the overtime rate of time and one half.
• This overtime can only be taken as pay.

• As with swing staff, employees will be assigned geographically to either east or west.
• Part-time employees are not following any schedule nor will they be assigned to any colour code.

• Until the end of the present contract, all shifts will be 12 hours in length.
• There are two different periods – peak and non-peak
• The peak period is defined as the time between the pay period that includes the 24^th of May weekend up to and including the pay period that includes Thanksgiving.  In addition, the pay period prior to the pay that includes Christmas up to the pay period that includes New Year’s is also considered a peak period. All other time is considered the non-peak period.
• During the peak period, you must provide the Division with 18 shifts of availability per cycle and during the non- peak period you must provide 12 shifts of availability per cycle.

• There are rules for providing your availability.
• All availability will be communicated to the Scheduling Unit via a portal on the Scheduling website.
• Failure to provide appropriate availability by the cut-off date could lead to termination.

• This is affected by the 4:1 ratio of full time to part time paramedics.
• Full-time paramedics that might need to be laid off will have the option to drop down to part time.
• Part time paramedics will be laid off in reverse order of seniority.

A1: Similar to other hospital bypass programs (e.g., stroke, STEMI, trauma), the CTAS 2A/2B Pilot Program is designed to transport patients classified as CTAS 2B to the closest, most appropriate hospital, where “most appropriate” is defined as shortest time to definitive care.

A2: PDS will select the hospital with the lowest Time to Next Patient (TNP) for patients identified as CTAS 2B. The selected hospital may not always be the closest hospital. PDS will not assign a patient to a hospital outside one of the four closest to the call location that offers the service required. In areas where there the distance to the closest hospital is significant, PDS may eliminate all but one or two hospitals to help avoid unnecessary travel distances.

A3: For every patient assigned to a particular hospital, a set amount of time is designated to that hospital, represented by “Time to Next Patient” (TNP). This is the amount of time remaining before PDS will select that hospital for the next ambulance patient. The higher the patient acuity, the longer the TNP (based on the anticipated resources required to manage higher acuity patients). Of the four closest hospitals to the call location, the hospital with the lowest TNP will be the destination recommended by PDS for CTAS 2B to CTAS 5 patients.

A4: In a manner similar to the clinical benefit of stroke, trauma and pediatric patients, which involve bypassing the closest hospital in favour of a shorter time to definitive care, the relatively small increase in transport time helps CTAS 2B patients receive definitive care sooner.

A5: The CTAS 2A/2B guidelines are in place to identify patients that cannot be transported as CTAS 2B. It does not prevent the Paramedic from triaging their patient as CTAS 2A.

A6: CTAS 2B patients are still being transported as a type of CTAS 2. Updates should be provided in line with SOP 03.06.41 – Notification of Receiving Hospital. This information helps hospital staff ensure they have the appropriate resources ready to receive the patient.

A7: The criteria used to differentiate CTAS 2A and 2B patients continue to be reviewed and may be adjusted during the Pilot Program. The criteria were developed with medical oversight and review of existing data (call reviews, transport times, existing bypass programs etc.). In the event changes are made to the criteria during the pilot, appropriate updates will be distributed.

A8: Yes, the MOH has endorsed the Pilot Program which includes follow-up and safety reviews. The pilot is also supported by Ontario Health and our hospital partners.

A9: The CTAS 2A/2B Pilot Program has been regularly reviewed since it was implemented in 2018. A number of different factors are reviewed to ensure the safety of affected patients.

Transport time alignment with other speciality bypass transports

• The transport times for CTAS 2B patients align with our other specialty transport times.

CTAS Deviation (% of Paramedic CTAS 2B patients triaged as CTAS 1 by receiving hospital)

• This percentage has remained stable, between 2-3%. Some of this includes bypass patients (STEMI, stroke, trauma), whom are always triaged CTAS 1 by the hospital.
• Since the June 10, 2022 change, all CTAS 2B patients triaged as CTAS 1 by the hospital have been reviewed by Dr. MacDonald for the safety of the program.

Information on CTAS 2A/2B reviews is regularly presented to the PDS Working Group with our hospital partners, the Ministry of Health and the LHIN (now Ontario Health (OH)).

A1. Yes. TCEU Local 416 President Eddie Mariconda was advised of the planned schedule change in August 2022 in accordance with Article 9 of the Collective Agreement.

A2. Paramedics currently assigned to Schedules 1, 5, 6 and 7 will be converted to Schedule 9 — as well as Paramedics at 12 Station who were scheduled to be included in the last phase. At this time, Paramedics assigned to Schedule 1, or modified Schedule 1 at 59 Station, 30 Station ERU, and 54 Station ERU are not being converted.

A3. Swing Paramedics on Schedules 1, 5, 6 and 7 will be converted to Schedule 9 along with those who own stations. Swing Paramedics will be able to view their schedules in TeleStaff. In addition, full year calendars (for all schedules) are available in the Scheduling Portal.

A4. If your base (Swing) position is on Schedule 1, 5, 6 and 7, you will be converted to Schedule 9; however, your current temporary station assignment will remain and continue to follow long-term backfill practices.

A5. PT Paramedics do not have a set schedule and are therefore unaffected by the conversion. Availability requirements and shift assignments for PT Paramedics will continue as normal.

A6. In order to better align Paramedics with their Superintendent, Paramedics will report to the Superintendent on the same color code they are assigned to.

A7. Attached to the memorandum cited above is a reference document with information on the different Schedule 9 rotations. Stations will be assigned to Rotations 1, 2, 3 or 5. A fourth rotation is currently in use at 01 Station but requires the resources of a Multi-Function Station to be successful; this rotation is not included in the Schedule 1, 5, 6 and 7 conversion to Schedule 9.

A8. All Paramedics affected by the schedule conversion have been sent a letter and an information package by registered mail. This package contains details on the conversion as well as the specifics of their new shift rotation. Schedule information will also become available in TeleStaff as the new assignments are uploaded (this will be completed prior to the 2023 vacation booking process).

If you are affected by the change and have not received details of your new rotation or information package by the start of the vacation booking process, please access TeleStaff to view your schedule.

A9. No. The start times for each station have been finalized and are based on performance metrics for individual station areas, as well as the need for balancing ambulance coverage in geographic areas. The staggered start times ensure that the distribution of Paramedic resources can assist with both beginning and end-of-shift coverage.

A10. No, Schedule rotations are based on operational demand to ensure staffing is balanced and available when and where they are needed.

A11. Station bids will continue using the current process. If you successfully bid on a Schedule 5, 6 and 7 station, you will be converted to Schedule 9 with your new assignment (effective on January 25, 2023). For Schedule 1 stations converting over to Schedule 9, once the closed bid for affected Paramedics has been completed, potential vacancies can then be identified and will be posted as per normal station bidding practices.

A12. Paramedics affected by the conversion will book vacation based on their new Schedule 9 rotation and follow the same process as in previous years. Individual Schedule 9 rotations will be known prior to the start of vacation booking.

More information about the 2023 vacation booking process will be released in the fall.

A13. Schedule 1 poses some challenges with the conversion to Schedule 9 due to the introduction of C shift start times and garaging availability. In order to accommodate the need for additional ambulances, Paramedics who own a Schedule 1 PCP station will be relocated and offered station ownership within a current Schedule 7 station and then transitioned over to Schedule 9. A closed station bidding process will be run for affected Paramedics. Final results of this station bid process will determine their final color and partner assignment.

Schedule 1 ACP staff will remain on their current color and transition over to Schedule 9. Vacancies on Orange and Purple will be posted through the normal bidding process.

A14. All Paramedics are being aligned in order to create a more harmonized schedule, fostering a better Superintendent and employee relationship.

A15. No, ERU schedules (30 Station and 54 Station) were not within scope for this phase of movement towards a harmonized schedule.

A16. No.  At this time, Paramedics assigned to work at 59 Station will remain on their current schedules and colour codes.

A17. No, changes to CACC schedules are not within scope for this phase.

A18. For any questions related to the conversion to Schedule 9, please contact
PS-Schedulechange@toronto.ca.

A virtual town hall is currently being planned for September to provide Paramedics with more information and an opportunity to ask questions. Additional information will be released in the near future.

A1: Monkeypox is an orthopoxvirus that causes a disease with symptoms similar to, but less severe than, smallpox. It is typically mild and self-limiting; however, severe illness can occur.

A2: Monkeypox infection presents initially with flu-like symptoms that include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, enlarged lymph nodes, and fatigue, followed one to three days later by a progressively developing rash. The rash characteristically begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and the mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, and genitalia. The rash can last two to four weeks and much like chickenpox, progresses through several stages before scabs form and fall off.

A3: While historically rare, human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through close contact with an infected individual’s bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, or lesions, or through items that have been contaminated with the infected person’s fluids or lesions. The incubation period is typically seven to 14 days but can range from five days to 21 days. Individuals are communicable from symptom onset until all scabs have fallen off and new skin is present.

A4: If you suspect your patient has symptoms compatible with monkeypox virus infection, airborne and droplet/contact precautions are required. Paramedics should wear a fit-tested N95 respirator, eye protection (goggles or face shield), gloves and a gown, and the patient should wear a medical mask for source control, if tolerated. The receiving hospital should be notified so that they can prepare.

A5: The current cleaning procedures and disinfection products are effective for the monkeypox virus.