The District Municipality of Muskoka (District) announced that Jeff McWilliam will join the District team as the Chief, Paramedic Services and Emergency Planning, effective May 24, 2016. The Chief will play a key role as the District prepares for transition to direct delivery of land ambulance services in Muskoka on September 4, 2016, and will have oversight of the District’s paramedic services and emergency planning team. The transition to direct delivery will have no impact on patient care services to the public.
“Mr. McWilliam is an experienced manager of Paramedic Services and we are excited to have him lead our team through this transition and beyond,” said Michael Duben, Chief Administrative Officer at The District Municipality of Muskoka. “He is also a current resident of Muskoka and is excited to be taking on this instrumental role in his home community.”
McWilliam is currently Deputy Chief with the County of Simcoe Paramedic Services (CSPS). As a member of the CSPS Senior Management Team, he has been involved in a number of initiatives that have helped to make Simcoe a successful Paramedic Service.
In his current role he manages the delivery of logistics and oversees the Service’s budget expenditures of approximately $46 million. His responsibilities include the oversight of the scheduling unit, which is responsible for scheduling over 330 staff members, facilities planning and design, policy development and compliance reporting. McWilliam has also held the position of Deputy Chief and other supervisory roles in Operations with Simcoe. He began his career as a paramedic and built his skills through work with organizations such as William-Osler Healthcare and Halton-Mississauga / Peel Regional Paramedic Services.
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I applaud the hire of someone who has come up through the ranks: A former, working paramedic will have the respect of those reporting to him. The short article, however, made no mention of any experience in the area of emergency preparedness. Since the inception of the AODA, 2005, this has become an increasingly thorny issue; and it is to be hoped that Mr. McWilliam has the requisite background to oversee the preparation of a comprehensive emergency plan.