Online ceremony honours fallen paramedics
Memorial bell chimes for emergency responders dedicated to saving lives
Niagara paramedics reflected on the tragic toll their profession can sometimes take as they gathered for a solemn online memorial Wednesday.
“We’re a family of front-line workers,” said Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedic Gregor Thimmig, struggling with emotion. “Let’s remember. Let’s remember why we got into this field. Remember the fallen that gave their life to save another.
“Remember the ones that were in the dark and couldn’t find the light to guide them,” he said. “Let’s remember to give support to the ones that suffer in silence, to stand by their side.”
Thimmig was one of several paramedics and political leaders participating in a ceremony honouring paramedics who lost their lives as a result of their dedication to saving the lives of others.
The Paramedic Memorial Bell was chimed as the names of about 50 paramedics from across Canada who since the 1980s died in the line of duty were read. The bell then rang out one more time in recognition of paramedics suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and those who were driven to die by suicide.
Thimmig said 12 paramedics and fleet staff from Niagara have died since 2002 from medical ailments “or by their own hand.”
“Let’s come together and be
there for each other, not just here in Niagara but across the province and across Canada,” he urged. “We are a family team and when a family comes together we create an unstoppable team. Together everyone achieves more. Let’s be there to support in times of need. Let us remember.”
Niagara EMS Chief Kevin Smith called it a sombre moment to reflect “on the impact that choosing the paramedic profession can have on one’s life.”
“And not just paramedics serving on the front line, but on the emergency medical service dispatchers who answer the calls for help and the many people behind the scenes who commit themselves to serving out community through the delivery of quality paramedic services,” he added.
Smith said the ceremony was intended to draw attention to the crisis emergency medical service personnel face.
“Today is a reminder, a call of commitment of continued action to ensure that the well-being of all, and more specifically the mental well-being, of those who live their lives helping others,” he said.
“It’s also a moment of hope. Even when things may seem lost and dim, hope is what gathers us together today. Hope is what we as leaders need to encourage to others to provide the best opportunity to turn that hope into reality.”
Local paramedics have participated in a memorial bike ride for the past few years that culminates in a similar ceremony in Ottawa, but this year that ride was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Paramedic Memorial Bell was instead sent to EMS teams across the province to allow paramedics to honour their fallen comrades in their own communities.
As the world continues to struggle with the pandemic, Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, said the role paramedics play has become more important than ever.
“Paramedics have, of course, continued to respond to every 911 call and be there for their clients and, of course, that has taken on some risk of themselves being infected with COVID-19,” he said, describing paramedics as “very brave individuals.”
“We should not lose sight of the fact that they are both the people who are providing help but also members of the community who might sometimes be suffering themselves.”
The bell will remain in Niagara for the next few days, as cyclists from Niagara EMS carry it with them to each ambulance station in the region before being handed off to Hamilton Paramedic Services.