EMBRACING NEW CANADIANS
Police, firefighters, EMS build trust
Don’t be afraid.
That was the message police, firefighters and paramedics delivered to some of Canada’s newest citizens Thursday at the annual Emergency Services Introduction to New Canadians.
“We strongly believe that a lot of the newcomers to Canada come from cultures where police are not trusted,” said Windsor police Chief Al Frederick. “So we want to break that barrier immediately. They need to know that here in Canada, all the emergency services are here for them. We have no other purpose and it’s very easy to get hold of us, three digits.”
Hundreds of newcomers to Canada attended the seventh annual event at Charles Clark Square. Windsor police, Essex County OPP, LaSalle police, Amherstburg police, Essex-Windsor EMS and the Windsor Fire and Rescue Service joined forces to put on the event. Windsor police offered tours of their downtown headquarters.
The emergency response organizations also set up booths to showcase vehicles and equipment, talk to newcomers, answer questions and put people at ease.
“There’s also a little bit of apprehension in proper use of emergency services, and that’s the purpose of today,” said Justin Lammers, deputy chief of professional standards for Essex-Windsor EMS. “Nobody should ever be afraid to call us, but our underlying message to that is call for the appropriate reasons. We’re an emergency service and we should be utilized in emergency situations.”
Fire prevention officer John Lee said people new to Canada are often even afraid of firefighters.
“In a lot of countries where these people come from, having a fire is considered to be a crime,” said Lee. “We don’t want people to be afraid. We want people to interact with us. We’re here to help them and to teach them some fire safety tips.”
The outreach seemed to be working on Thursday.
“It’s a change from our country. Every thing here is nice. Police are good. They respect humans. It’s different. In Syria, it’s hard with police sometimes. They don’t respect everybody,” said Sawson Obeid, who arrived in Windsor from Syria about a year ago.
Haitham Abdullatif, also from Syria, had a big smile after posing for photos in the front seat of a Windsor police cruiser.
“Fire station, police station, very nice,” said Abdullatif. “Canada is very nice. Windsor is very nice. I am happy.”