Ambulance and Paramedics

Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Essex-Windsor EMS provides ambulance service and pre-hospital emergency medical care to nearly 400,000 residents of Essex County, Windsor and Pelee Island. We provide 24/7 coverage 365 days of the year, which works out to about 404,000 on-road paramedic hours.

We treat and transport more than 47,000 patients annually. Our fleet of ambulances travels more than 2,250,000 KM each year, covering an area of 1,852 square KM.

Essex-Windsor EMS employs more than 290 college-trained paramedics and operates out of 12 bases spanning the region. Our paramedics are community boosters who work and volunteer at community events year-round.

Vulnerable Patient Navigator Program

Our groundbreaking VPN program was launched in 2016. It helps ease the strain on the local ambulance service and reduces offload delays by working closely with patients who use emergency medical services more than three times per year.

Nearly 350 patients have been enrolled in the program and, on average, the VPN team connects patients to 30 support agencies per month, monitoring their progress to ensure follow up care is provided.

Patients enrolled in VPN “experienced a decrease in pain, discomfort, depression, and anxiety. Participants reported an increase in overall improvement to their health state.” Learn more about our VPN program. or contact us to learn more.

Peer Support Team

Essex-Windsor EMS places a priority on mental wellness. Paramedics, like other first responders, are sometimes involved in particularly traumatic calls. Our Peer Support team assists paramedics and ensures they get the support they need. Learn more about our Peer Support program.

We Help First

Essex-Windsor EMS is a proud partner of the We Help First initiative, a coalition of First Responders dedicated to promoting mental wellness, building resilience and reducing the stigma.

First Responders are at increased risk of experiencing occupational stress and other mental health issues. The We Help First coalition is dedicated to working collaboratively to develop strategies and programs to address the continuum of mental health issues known to impact First Responders. Learn more about We Help First!

Forms and Services

Essex-Windsor EMS provides dedicated paramedic medical coverage for special events. Coverage depends on the availability of staff and ambulances. A Medical Coverage Request Form must be completed to apply for this service.

Essex-Windsor EMS also makes every effort to attend events to which it is invited for public relations. However, attendance depends on the availability of staff and ambulances. A Public Relations Request Form must be completed for every invitation.

Essex-Windsor EMS offers a variety of other services and mechanisms for feedback. We also ask the community to register their life-saving Automatic External Defibrillators.

Mission Statement

The County of Essex, Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services is committed to providing the highest quality emergency medical pre-hospital care to the citizens of the County of Essex, the City of Windsor and the Township of Pelee.

Our purpose is to foster fiscally responsible quality care through:

Maintaining mutually supportive relationships with other emergency services and health care agencies in our community.
Participating in public education for prevention and awareness.
Providing continuous quality improvement to ensure the highest standards are achieved.
Supporting our employees and providing them with the tools and methods to accomplish the highest quality of care.

Essex-Windsor EMS staff also adhere to a Code of Privacy as it relates to a patient's personal health information.