The future of emergency care isn’t just faster or smarter — it’s cleaner. Because reducing emissions is part of protecting the health of our patients and communities. As part of our efforts to understand our environmental impact, Medavie is working to harness technology that will help improve patient safety and operational efficiency, while also driving down our carbon footprint.
“Putting people first can have powerful side effects and, in this case, it’s lower emissions,” says Matthew Murphy, Vice President of Organizational Support and Readiness at Nova Scotia’s Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMCI), part of the Medavie family. “Given the scale of our operations, we know we have the potential to make a difference. We’re investing in this technology because it’s the right thing to do for patients, for communities, and for the planet.”
Testing smarter technology on the front lines
Through a forward-thinking partnership with ACETECH™, a global leader in vehicle informatics, Medavie has launched a pilot project equipping three ambulances in Nova Scotia with advanced technology designed to monitor and optimize ambulance performance, enhance patient care, and reduce unnecessary fuel use.
Designed specifically for emergency fleets, ACETECH’s Eco-Run software dramatically reduces idling time by automatically turning engines off when they’re not needed and back on when they are. The three ambulances testing the Eco-Run software have also been outfitted with solar panels to power essential electronics, and the results so far have been promising.
“In those three vehicles alone, we’ve saved the equivalent of driving 55,199 kilometres,” Murphy says. “That’s less wear and tear on engines, fewer emissions released into the air, and more dollars saved on fuel that we can reinvest into patient care.”
Using data to run safer, smarter fleets
Looking more broadly at our fleet of nearly 700 ambulances across Canada, Medavie Health Services is implementing other ACETECH systems focused on vehicle and fleet intelligence — and seeing the benefits. These systems give real-time insight into each vehicle’s status, from tracking speed and location to monitoring engine temperature, battery voltage, and even the climate inside the patient care area. “Canada experiences extreme temperature swings, and that has a big impact on both patient comfort and the safe storage of temperature-sensitive medications,” Murphy explains.
Dashboards created for each ambulance provide logistics teams with a clear picture of performance and maintenance needs, allowing issues to be caught early, before they impact service. RFID tracking helps ensure life-saving equipment is always on board, while driving data helps make the roads safer for the paramedics and patients who rely on them.
Improving care beyond the vehicle
These technologies also support broader system improvements. By analyzing offload delays and hospital wait times, Medavie and its government partners are working to improve emergency care by identifying bottlenecks and improving patient transfers.
“This technology gives us peace of mind,” Murphy explains. It helps prevent the preventable. And it helps us build a system that’s more sustainable in every sense of the word — environmentally, financially, and for the people who rely on us every day.”
As Medavie looks to expand these innovations fleet-wide, we’re confident that the road to better health is also a path to a greener future.