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Montreal firefighters and emergency responders in Côte-St-Luc will no longer respond to 911 medical calls, because of the coronavirus pandemic, Urgences-santé has decided.

To limit the spread of COVID-19, only Urgences-santé ambulance workers will respond to emergency calls such as cardiac arrests.

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“This exceptional measure is necessary to protect our paramedics, our partners and the public,” said Nicola D’Ulisse, Urgences-santé’s president.

“Coronavirus in Montreal is spreading quite quickly, and one way to stop the spread of this virus is to avoid contact.”

The directive also means volunteer operations, like Côte-St-Luc’s vaunted Emergency Medical Services, will stop temporarily.

The provincial health department issued the recommendation on Friday and Urgences-santé made its decision after consulting with the Montreal fire department over the weekend.

“It’s a hard decision, but we have determined it’s the best course because of possible exposure of firefighters to COVID-19 patients,” said Rick Leckner, who sits on the ambulance service’s executive committee.