Ambulance Numbering

[canoman1]

Please forgive me if this has been discussed before. I did a forum search and was not able to turn up the answer in 10 pages of results.

I am wondering how the ambulances in Ontario are numbered. The ones around here (Hastings County) that I have seen, all seem just random numbering. 4101, 4118, 4505, 4504 . I have also seen others in neighbouring counties all with 4*** numbering. I have yet to see one with two numbers the same in two different counties.
Do different CACC's all start with a different number? Is it by region? Are all ambulances in Ontario a different number?

Thanks

 

[HCPSFeed]

Every ambulance in Ontario had a unique OASIS number. The first digit is the region. 4 is eastern Ontario. 3 is central Ontario. 2 is southern Ontario. 1 is northern Ontario. The second digit indicates the number of stretchers the ambulance carries. 1 and 2 are obvious. 3 is a first response SUV. 4 and 5 mean 2 and 1 respectively ( because they ran out of 2 and 1 numbers. 8 is a supply vehicle or sometimes an MCI vehicle. Finally the last two digits are just unique to that truck.


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[exkalibur]

A "3" as the second digit isn't necessarily a first response SUV. Generally they're administrative vehicles - mobile CACC vehicles, supervisors, etc... are also "3" vehicles. "0" as the second number is also a dual stretcher, I believe.

 

[HCPSFeed]

Well you clearly know more about this than I do.


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[VE3JSO]

Every ambulance in Ontario had a unique OASIS number. The first digit is the region. 4 is eastern Ontario. 3 is central Ontario. 2 is southern Ontario. 1 is northern Ontario. The second digit indicates the number of stretchers the ambulance carries. 1 and 2 are obvious. 3 is a first response SUV. 4 and 5 mean 2 and 1 respectively ( because they ran out of 2 and 1 numbers. 8 is a supply vehicle or sometimes an MCI vehicle. Finally the last two digits are just unique to that truck.


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if the first digit is region i think you might have it backwords because our ambulance in lambton starts with one ie 1141 1140 1139

 

[Forts]

One of the main rigs here in Strathroy is 1045... Not sure if it's a 2 stretcher unit or not, I'll take a closer look next time I see it.

 

[webstar22]

Renfrew County
Old Box Units are 42xx
New units are 45xx they are going sprinter vans here for EMS now.

 

[EJB]

EMS units that begin with one would be in the regions and counties to the west of Waterloo, Norfolk. So London EMS, Grey, Bruce, Essex, etc would begin with 1.

Counties such as Wellington, Dufferin, Waterloo, Ham, Niagara, Brant, Hald, Norfolk units begin with 2. There might be one EMS base right over the border from Waterloo region, covering St. Jacobs, they would have EMS units begin with 2 even thou it is actually in a region where EMS units begin with 1.

York,Simcoe, Peel, Halton, Durham would begin with 3. If Toronto would also but they have their own numbering system.

I guess anything to the east of Durham would have EMS units begin with 4. I am not sure about anything to the north of Bruce or Muskoka, I can recall hearing a Sudbury CACC call to a Manlitoulin EMS unit (with a 1 hour or more ETA to a hospital!) many years ago when I was up in Tobermory. I cant remember if the EMS unit began with 5 or 6 up there.

 

[RyanAC]

I guess anything to the east of Durham would have EMS units begin with 4. I am not sure about anything to the north of Bruce or Muskoka, I can recall hearing a Sudbury CACC call to a Manlitoulin EMS unit (with a 1 hour or more ETA to a hospital!) many years ago when I was up in Tobermory. I cant remember if the EMS unit began with 5 or 6 up there.

The Manitoulin units begin with 5. Some do at least.

 

[SCPD]

Yes up here in Zone 3 (Sudbury Manitoulin Region, etc) They all start with "5" (5227 for example)

 

[jasoyeom]

Brant/Haldimand/Norfolk are all 2xxx
I've heard Ambulances in London start with 1xxx

 

[foxtail]

Niagara has all 2xxx also. Even saw one that is 2112....makes me think of Rush....

 

[EJB]

Halton has units like 3189, which has been around since I've lived here, some units that begin with 32 or 33.

York and Peel have 30 and 31.

Hamilton cities generally begin as 22 or 23 for new units or supervisors and ERU's.

Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk are usually 21xx, Same as Waterloo Ems. I hear Guelph and Dufferin's as 21xx and 23xx.

I can't receive Norfolk or Listowel or anything west of Brantford and London CACC units rarely go into the towers in my region.

 

[Gator596]

OASIS

HCPS - I think OASIS numbers are unique to each Paramedic. Like a badge number. I don't think they refer to the vehicle.

 

[exkalibur]

That's correct. OASIS = Ontario Ambulance Service Information System. It isn't JUST employee numbers, there's a bunch more to it - but that's what they mean by an OASIS number.

 

[EJB]

That's correct. OASIS = Ontario Ambulance Service Information System. It isn't JUST employee numbers, there's a bunch more to it - but that's what they mean by an OASIS number.

I used to occasionally hear an EMT give out his/her OASIS number when they were patched to base hospitals, generally to doctors.

An example: When Hamilton CACC operated two channels (same sort of arrangement as today except they are talkgroups) I would hear an EMS unit bringing in someone who was CTAS 4-1, pretty much dead. When the EMT's were unable to revive a patient enroute to the ER you would generally hear a doctor ask for the OASIS number of the EMT's that were unable to revive the patient. At that time, the doctor at the hospital would pronounce them.

To be honest, I dont hear this interaction all that often anymore. Toronto EMS used to speak to doctors on a designated talkgroup, I guess cell phones are used more often or there is different protocol these days. Perhaps an EMT can clear this up for us.

 

[bpsmicro]

You're not going to find very many EMTs in Ontario.

But you're right, TOR (Termination of Resuscitation) request calls are made by cell phone or landline whenever possible. It's a very rare occasion, typically because there's no cell service or landline available, when they do it via a patch. As you can imagine, it's a pretty strict protocol.
BTW, that's what "Code-6" means: pronounced by family physician, on-scene physician, or base hospital physician. And there's a heap of paperwork that goes with that.