Public safety services

The City of Côte Saint-Luc public safety services are under a unified command. The city’s public safety services supplement the island-wide police and fire protection services.

Jordy Reichson is the Director of Public Safety and is responsible for overseeing the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Public Security, Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (vCOP), Emergency Communications Centre and the emergency preparedness plan. Together, these five divisions form the Côte Saint-Luc Public Safety Department. EMS, Public Security and the Emergency Communications Centre are staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Côte Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has provided first responder service to the community since 1980. EMS offers superior quality pre-hospital emergency medical care to the residents of and visitors to Côte Saint-Luc. EMS operates a fleet of three emergency response vehicles equipped with defribillators and other medical tools and supplies. EMS responds to more than 3,000 medical calls each year and assists at community events, crises and other major emergencies in the community.

EMS volunteers respond to life-threatening 9-1-1 medical calls. EMS has a full-time administrative coordinator, Melaine Selby, and a team of volunteer leaders who supervise more than 95 volunteers. Following demerger from the City of Montreal, through intensive lobbying at all levels and a grassroots “Save EMS” campaign, Côte Saint-Luc was able to convince the Quebec government to include a provision to allow Côte Saint-Luc to keep control over first responder services on its territory when it adopted Bill 22.

Public Security is responsible for enforcing municipal by-laws, assisting residents and protecting city property. Public Security officers enforce parking and noise by-laws, patrol local parks and municipal buildings, respond to major incidents, divert traffic and much more. Since 2007, Michel Martel, a 30-year veteran of the Montreal Police Department, serves as the Chief of Public Security.

The Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (vCOP) program was launched in 2006. vCOP volunteers patrol the city to observe and report any suspicious activities or problems. Côte Saint-Luc was the first city in Quebec to implement the innovative vCOP program. Similar programs have been established in communities throughout Canada and the United States.

All of the city’s public safety services are coordinated by our Emergency Communications Centre. The Centre handles more than 2,000 calls per month for parking permit requests, calls for assistance, after-hours infrastructure emergencies and much more.