Toronto – Councillor Alejandra Bravo (Davenport), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee and Bikram Chawla, Chief, Toronto Paramedic Services (TPS), welcomed 44 new Primary Care Paramedics and Emergency Telecommunicators to the City of Toronto. The ceremony also saw four TPS staff members awarded Long Service Medals and Bars.
The graduates who completed comprehensive orientation and training programs include 33 Primary Care Paramedics and 11 Emergency Telecommunicators.
TPS is staffed by skilled paramedics who provide 24-hour pre-hospital emergency treatment that can make the difference between life and death for ill or injured individuals.
Telecommunicator staff at the TPS Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) are a critical link between the community and paramedic-based health care. The CACC receives 9-1-1 calls, triages them and dispatches the appropriate resources to respond to emergency situations.
Emergency Medical Dispatchers and Call Takers provide immediate life support instructions using an accredited call triage system and telecommunications technology that ensure people in need have timely access to emergency medical resources.
As part of today’s ceremony, four Long Service Medals and Bars were awarded to dedicated TPS staff with a minimum of 12 years of service, with each additional 10 years of service being recognized with a Bar.