Paramedic Service Celebrates Achievements at Paramedic Services Week Event

Johnstown – The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville’s Paramedic Service honoured members of their staff on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, as part of National Paramedic Services Week.

The event, held at the South Grenville Paramedic Station in Johnstown, was an opportunity to celebrate members of the Counties’ Paramedic Service for their years of service and the care they provide. Service Chief Jeff Carss opened the event by thanking all Leeds Grenville Paramedics for their service. In his remarks, Chief Carss said, “Your dedication to serving others, often in the most challenging and critical moments, is nothing short of heroic. Day in and day out, you demonstrate unwavering courage, compassion, and professionalism in the face of adversity.”

Each year, staff are recognized for their time spent working with the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. This is a counties award and recognizes individuals for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service. In addition to counties recognition, Paramedic Long Service medals were also awarded at the event, recognizing personnel who had completed 12, 22, or 32 years of Paramedic service and have been employed by Leeds Grenville Paramedic Service for at least five years of continuous service.

The Chair of Leeds and Grenville’s Joint Services Committee and Mayor of Elizabethtown-Kitley, Brant Burrow, was on hand to help present the recognition awards. In his remarks, Burrow said that the Paramedic Service is particularly close to his heart due to the care they provided for his mother over the last few years through the in-home Community Paramedic Program. He added, “I’ve heard from many residents who are so appreciative of the level of care that they receive, and it’s very reassuring to know that we have such a wonderful group of ambassadors representing us in Leeds and Grenville.”

At May’s Counties Council meeting, Warden Nancy Peckford took time to recognize the Leeds Grenville Service on behalf of the Council. Warden Peckford said, “We know that in emergency situations, our paramedics show up highly motivated, extremely skilled, and willing to get the job done; it means so much to us to have such a high-functioning Paramedic Service.”

Following the recognition presentations, Chief Carss stated that the collaboration and dedication of all Leeds Grenville Paramedics in striving to hit the highest levels of excellence is one of the many things he is most proud of. “The family atmosphere that exists in the system that we see every day makes working in Leeds and Grenville so special.”

The Paramedic Service is currently in the process of onboarding new recruits on both the front-line and administrative sides, which will bring additional strength and capacity to the system.