NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF GUELPH
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On Friday, Oct. 2, the Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service (GWPS) will host a ‘Remember the Fallen’ ceremony as the Paramedic Memorial Bell arrives at the Clair Road Emergency Services Centre.
A small ceremony with on- and off-duty paramedics will take place at 2 p.m. when the names of 51 paramedics from across Canada are read aloud and the bell tolled for each paramedic who has died in the line of duty.
The bell will toll once more to recognize paramedics, dispatchers and others who lost their battles with post-traumatic stress disorder. There are no Guelph-Wellington names on the bell.
“It’s an honour and privilege to host the Paramedic Memorial Bell in Guelph as we join cities and paramedic services across our country to pay tribute and remember those who have lost their lives serving our communities,” says Mayor Cam Guthrie.
The Paramedic Memorial Bell, handed off to the GWPS by the Dufferin County Paramedic Service, has been travelling throughout Wellington County since Sept. 25, going base to base with paramedics involved with the Tour Paramedic Ride. The bell was built in 2015 by Ottawa paramedic Michael Dunlop.
In a non-COVID-19 year, the annual ride would go from Toronto to Ottawa. But, this year organizers with The Paramedic Ride asked all 52 land and air ambulance services in the province to host a ride and ceremony within its jurisdiction.
The Paramedic Ride is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising money in support of the Canadian Paramedic Memorial Foundation and for the construction of a monument in Ottawa commemorating fallen paramedics across the country.
Paramedics face danger every time they’re called to an emergency, which is amplified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In Guelph, the City makes the health and safety of its employees a priority.
“We recognize the risks our paramedics take each day in caring for our community and we’re committed to making sure our health and safety programs create a safer, healthier working environment for everyone, including keeping our paramedics safe as they provide emergency care to those in need. Safety is a priority across all employee groups, and it’s consistent with what our community values as important,” says Colleen Clack-Bush, deputy CAO Public Services.
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