Act FAST: Partner with Heart & Stroke to raise the awareness of signs of stroke and save lives

Heart & Stroke wants to partner with more paramedic services in Ontario to save Ontarians from the effects of stroke.  FAST stands for: Face: is it drooping? Arms: can you raise both? Speech: is it slurred or jumbled? Time: to call 9-1-1 right away. The objective of our campaign in to place decals showing the FAST message on ambulances throughout Ontario, to remind people of the three key FAST signs and to remind everyone of the urgency of calling 911 immediately (as...

77 Ontario Paramedics Recognized for Excellence in Paramedic Services

In a ceremony at Queen’s Park held on November 28th, The Honourable Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care will recognize 77 Ontario Paramedics whom have provided pre-hospital emergency medical services to the public in an exemplary manner for a minimum of thirty years. These paramedics will be presented with their first or Second bar for the Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal, which was created in 1994 by the late Governor General Romeo LeBlanc...

Taking Training to the Lab

In spring of this year, as part of our annual Continuing Medical Education, Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service partnered with the University of Guelph to provide a unique training opportunity. When it comes to learning and maintaining skills as a paramedic, students and working medics alike are no stranger to the world of simulation. Most scenarios include verbally explaining a skill instead of actually using equipment on live mock patients, as there are not many volunteers willing to have an interosseous (IO) device...

High Performance Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

By Keith Kirkpatrick - Chief, Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Services   The national average of surviving an out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest in adults is about five per cent. Of the approximately 40,000 people who die in Canada per year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest, most are over the age of 35 and most could have been saved. Since the 1960s, a great deal of time, thought and research by agencies such as the American Heart Association (AHA) has focused on...

For Members: Retirement Celebration for Chief Linda Rockwood

After 19 years at the County of Perth as our Director of Emergency Services and Chief of Paramedic Services, Chief Linda Rockwood is Retiring.  Linda is Ontario’s first female Paramedic Chief and leading a municipal direct delivery service was only one of her long list of accomplishments during her career in paramedic leadership. She is an outstanding leader whom is well-known locally and was recognized provincially by her staff and peers in 2015 when she was awarded the Richard J...