Staffing continues to be a problem for Hastings-Quinte Emergency Services.
A report to the Hastings Quinte Emergency Services Committee on Wednesday indicated the service had 24 down-staffed shifts in August and 12 that were partially down-staffed.
Response times have now shown improvement. For July and August 2022, they were 14 minutes and four seconds. For August of this year, 2023, that improved to 13 minutes and seven seconds.
Hastings providing standby coverage in Prince Edward County at night decreased from 185 standbys to 54 standbys for July and August.
More enhancements will begin in Belleville on September 25 as an extra 44 hours of ambulance service will be added.
