Paramedics: The overlooked heroes

It’s common to express appreciation for police, firefighters, nurses, doctors and others involved in keeping us safe and healthy, but it’s surprising how often paramedics are left out of such lists. Let’s rectify that right now by saying very publicly how grateful we are for the work of Kawartha Lakes paramedics and support staff, who do their essential work on our behalf to relatively little applause.

Kawartha Lakes paramedics respond to a staggering 14,000 calls yearly, a number that continues to rise for reasons ranging from people not having family doctors to the toll of the opioid crisis. They revive people who may then turn around and assault them. They witness gruesome injuries and shocking behaviour. They save lives and they see people die in front of them.

No wonder that Canadian paramedics are at such high risk for mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. They die by suicide at a rate that’s five times higher than the general population, according to the Canadian Centre for Suicide Prevention.

Those national statistics don’t necessarily apply to local paramedics, of course, but given the shift work, stress, and physical and mental duress the job inevitably involves, it’s safe to say their jobs are far more demanding than the rest of us can possibly fathom.

And yet, they continue to serve our community when we are in the most desperate need of help. Remarkably, response times have stayed pretty much the same despite increasing call volumes, according to the municipal government, their employer. They run valuable public education programs and the innovative community paramedic program for non-urgent health concerns, providing care in people’s homes so they don’t have to go to the hospital.

Astonishingly, despite the demands of their work, many paramedics stay in the field for decades, providing compassionate, professional care no matter the situation. For instance, in late November, Kawartha Lakes paramedic Darcy Caffin received the Governor General’s Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal for his 30 years on the job. “He exemplifies the professionalism, compassion and resilience that our service is built on,” Kawartha Lakes Paramedics Services Chief Sara Johnston said at the time.

For the sake of employees as well as the community, the city’s plans to consolidate several Lindsay-area aspects of paramedic services in new purpose-built headquarters on Angeline Street South are welcome. Kawartha Lakes paramedics have spent more than 20 years operating out of unsuitable sites that hampered response times.

With the city projecting a 48 per cent increase in demand for paramedic services by 2034 as a result of population growth, it’s time we gave these first responders their due. Not many people deserve the title of hero, and certainly few deserve it more than our paramedics.