Sinclair said four county-run long-term care homes have already been informed of the approval: Georgian Manor in Penetanguishene, Simcoe Manor in Beeton, Sunset Manor in Collingwood and Trillium Manor in Orillia.

As part of the proposed change to tiered response, the county’s paramedic services will have defibrillators put in long-term care homes and provide training if needed, according to a report submitted to committee of the whole Tuesday.

The cost will be funded by the Public Access Defibrillation Program.

Eliminating long-term care homes from tiered response could also limit potential anxiety to residents caused by emergency crews suddenly showing up and boost traffic safety in those areas, according to the report.

If council approves the change, it would take a few months to implement because each municipality’s council must first formally approve it, Sinclair added.

As well, because each community’s emergency resources vary, the savings per municipality would be different, she said.

For example, for larger places with full-time fire departments, such as Barrie, Orillia and Midland, the savings would likely come in the form of less gas usage and wear and tear on vehicles, she said.

For smaller places with volunteer services, such as Oro-Medonte, Ramara and New Tecumseth, there could be more immediate savings from having to pay fewer firefighters, she said.

Some fire departments also pay out mileage compensation and the average call often means two to three hours of pay, added Andrew Robert, director and chief of the county’s paramedic services.

“It’s not an insignificant expense when the tone goes off,” he said, noting volunteer fire department calls can vary greatly in particular.

“It could be two that show up or it could be 22 that show up,” he said, meaning it could turn from a $400 call to a $1,200 one.

Municipalities with volunteer firefighters typically respond to “more urgent” calls, such as heart attacks, said Robert.

Other municipalities with full-time fire staff will respond to other types of calls, such as dizziness and shortness of breath, he said.

Penetanguishene is the only community in Simcoe County that does not partake in the optional tiered response system.

No matter how county council votes, paramedics will still show up at all medical calls.

Robert said beyond the cost savings, the proposed change to tiered response means firefighters and police should be more available to take other calls.

“If they’re tied up at a nursing home, they’re not available for that other call nearby,” he said.

Robert said he is also working with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to make a change to the way emergency calls are dispatched.

Currently, all calls are marked as high priority, but Robert said he wants certain types of calls to come first for emergency workers.

This would eventually reduce the number of emergency calls, he predicted.

Last fall, the county also launched a one-year rapid response unit pilot project to improve rural response times.

The proposed change to tiered response stems from 2011 when Simcoe County staff began a “deep dive” to find more efficiencies at the urging of council, Sinclair said.

The county will continue implementing changes and look at issues such as call response times, she said.