Heroes Welcome Day honours first responders
Event also aims to show youth careers in the industry
When most people think of an auto show, they are envisioning little more than the opportunity to ogle all the shiny new cars and maybe get behind the wheel of a few to take an imaginary test drive. While that is its main reason for being, the Canadian International AutoShow is also a hub within the community for bringing people together.
To that end, this year the AutoShow will host Heroes Welcome Day on Thursday , a day dedicated to honour and recognize emergency first responders in this country.
The activities begin at10 a.m., when first responders from across the GTA gather for a photo opportunity outside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s South Building, which the public are encouraged to view. The Canadian Armed Forces will be supplying a Medium Support Vehicle System and a G-Wagon, which will be joined by a fire truck and police cruiser. Toronto Paramedic Services will be bringing along their stunning 1954 Packard Ambulance.
From there, the action moves in- doors, where a series of informative panel discussions will begin on the AutoShow LIVE stage on the 800 level of the South Building, where the topics throughout the day will be aimed at engaging youth who may be considering a career as a first responder.
AutoShow project co-ordinator Shanice Dennis-Russell says the idea is to create an “exciting approach to project information to attendees of all demographics” in an effort to keep visitors excited about the topics.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police recruiter Const. Brianne Harten feels that venues like the AutoShow “help to humanize people who work as first responders.” Harten explains that before joining the force, she viewed first responders as people who were somehow operating on a higher level than most could achieve.
“The truth is that we are all just regular people that put the uniform on and want to make our communities a better place. It doesn’t require super powers, just a sense of wanting to help people and making a difference. People considering a career as a first responder can see that we all come from different backgrounds and have different sets of skills that make us great at our jobs.”
Harten will be taking part in the first panel of the day, at 11 a.m., along with Toronto Fire Services staff, a Toronto paramedic and a 911 operator.
The group will tell stories of how they got into their jobs and what they see as the next steps toward building a career as a first responder.
Much has been said in the media about the lack of opportunities for millennials to move ahead in their careers, but the reality is the future is bright for those who seek out the right opportunity for them. In a session called Millennial Success Stories at 3 p.m., a Durham firefighter and a 911 operator will talk about their own paths to achieving career success at a young age.
At 5 p.m., EMS, York Fire and Durham Fire representatives will be on stage discussing the challenges of being a woman in an industry that has traditionally been staffed by men. Dennis-Russell says panellists will “give you an insight on the trials and tribulations they hurdled through, shedding light on their naysayers and discussing their roles within their respective careers.”
There is an old saying that no matter how bad your day is, somebody is having a worse day than you. Most of us, hopefully, only deal with a really bad day once or twice in our lifetimes. People who work as first responders, however, are regularly faced with other people’s bad days, having to be anything from a referee to a confidant and even a shoulder to cry on. The final panel of the day is entitled Health and Wellness. In this feature, a representative of Durham Fire and a 911operator will talk about the strategies they apply in their everyday lives.
These panel discussions are a great way to introduce young show visitors to some of the opportunities available within the first responder industry. The panels are interactive and participants will be eager to answer questions from the audience, because as Harten says, “Participating in events like the CIAS Heroes Day helps to make people realize that we are regular people doing this job and that although there are sacrifices there are many great benefits to this career.”