Fourth response system passes city hall hurdle

The City of Winnipeg is one step closer to creating a fourth emergency response that would divert non-violent 911 calls from a traditional police, fire or ambulance response.

On Tuesday, the executive policy committee voted to adopt the Winnipeg Community Crisis Response model that involves sending some calls to community agencies.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said nearly 650 calls of that nature have been successfully diverted to the Downtown Community Safety Partnership by Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service since July, a more limited effort he believes shows the potential of the broader program.

“It frees up firefighters and paramedics to get back to their posts to respond to the calls that they’re really trained for, while DCSP … can respond to the calls that are lower acuity,” said Gillingham.

A recent review estimated more than 10,000 crisis-related police and fire/paramedic calls could be diverted through such a system each year.

The motion, which would require final approval from city council, also calls for the city to seek a partnership with the province to support the new emergency response.