April 2, 2015     

 

Today at the City of Toronto's Paramedic Services headquarters, Chief Paul Raftis hosted the division's annual awards ceremony. Among the more than 50 people recognized for their roles in helping paramedics save lives in Toronto over the past year were 32 residents and several employees of the Toronto Police Service, the City's Corporate Security and the Toronto Transit Commission.

 

"I want to thank Toronto Paramedic Services for taking the initiative to host these awards," said Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10 York Centre), Chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee. "These awards not only recognize paramedic, emergency medical dispatch and operations support persons of the year, but also residents and bystanders who make a difference in stepping in to help a paramedic save a life."

 

Chief Paul Raftis commented, "Each year, the number of residents and allied service members we recognize increases. This is a testament to the caring people who live in the city who are willing to step in and help a stranger, family member or friend in a medical emergency. It makes me proud to lead this team of dedicated medical professionals – and to also serve the people who live in our community."

 

Toronto Paramedic Services employees submit names of residents, bystanders and allied service members to a nomination committee as events occur each year. The submissions are reviewed by a nominating committee for the selection of award recipients.

 

The latest award recipients and a brief description of their commendable actions can be found at http://torontoparamedicservices.ca/.

 

Recipients of Toronto Paramedic Services employee award recipients are as follows:

- Paramedic of the Year: Dennis St. Pierre, selected for his clinical expertise as a critical care paramedic and for his professional care of critically ill patients.

- Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year: Sandra Humenik, selected for her leadership and patient-focused care over 27 years of service.

- Support Person(s) of the year: Joey Simoes and Damon Schreiber for their contributions to the multimedia rollout of the branding for Toronto Paramedic Services. 

 

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1MHhzjl

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

 

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Media contact: Kim McKinnon,Toronto Paramedic Services, 416-392-2255, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.