MADD dedicates its newest memorial bench to paramedics
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) unveiled a memorial bench in front of Calgary EMS headquarters Friday morning.
It’s not the first bench MADD has dedicated to emergency services in the city. In 2013 they put a bench in front of Calgary police headquarters, and in 2018 the Calgary Fire Department received theirs.
The EMS bench, MADD said, is dedicated to those who lost their lives and are affected by impaired driving.
“We are grateful for the support that EMS continues to provide and we value our partnership in this ongoing battle to provide safe and secure roadways for Calgarians,” said Laura Kauffeldt, president of MADD Calgary, in a statement. “Today we are pleased to be able to present this memorial bench as a gesture of our gratitude for your partnership and support over these past years. We trust that EMS staff will be reminded and encouraged in this vital and important work that they do.”
Randy Bryksa, associate executive director with Alberta Health Services EMS, said the bench will serve as a great reminder of MADD’S impact to stop impaired driving.
“By sharing this platform with MADD, we hope to reduce the incidents of death and injury caused by impaired driving across this city, province and country; EMS takes injury prevention very seriously,” Bryksa said in a statement. “When there is alcohol or drugs involved, we know that there was at least one preventable factor that led to that collision. Unfortunately, it is our practitioners that are often among the first to witness the terrible outcome of these entirely preventable incidents.”