It's National Paramedic Services Week and local media were invited to take part in an interactive session with EMS to gain a better understanding of the life-saving skills first responders use daily.
The week recognizes the men and women who provide the service and offers an opportunity to understand the importance of their role in our health care system and communities.
There are nearly 500 first responders in Calgary who put their lives on the line every day to help citizens and visitors.
‘I think that’s one of the reasons we get into it, is we don’t know what we are going to, so I can deliver a baby or assist with delivering a baby and then the next call, I can be helping someone with a heart attack to a car accident next,” said Naomi Nania, Paramedic.
Nania says she wanted to help people so the job was a good fit for her.
“I wanted to help people. I still, to this day, we get to go and do some pretty miraculous things and to see the people’s faces after and to know that you’ve saved a life and that you’ve assisted someone is absolutely amazing. I get to go home with that and have it on my heart,” she said.
The public can also take a small peak into a paramedic’s day at an open house at the end of the month.
EMS Public Education Officers will be on hand to answer questions and give tours of vehicles and equipment demonstrations.
The next open house is on Saturday, May 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m at EMS Station #6 located at 1940 Westmount Blvd. N.W.
Calgary’s paramedics respond to more than 100,000 calls a year.
National Paramedic Services Week runs from May 24 to 30.
(With files from Brad MacLeod)
