Upcoming Events

The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa will keep you posted on upcoming events on our agenda and in our neighbourhood.  The following event schedule will give you detailed information about our monthly initiatives.

2012 OTTAWA PARAMEDIC HOCKEY TOURNAMENT (Wed Feb 15 - Thr Feb 16)

• Wed Feb 15 & Thr Feb 16, 2012
• Minto Arena (2571 Lancaster Rd).
• First come first serve. 8 recreational teams. 8 competitive teams.
• Wednesday night party location TBA.
• Contact:  Martin Masse (hockey@OttawaParamedics.ca)
• reserve your team spot here

Monday August 22, 2011

11:30 – Charity BBQ (ends at 13:30)
12:00 – Pride Flag raising & speaches
BBQ and facility tour at Paramedic Headquarters (2465 Don Reid Drive Ottawa).

BBQ proceeds will support:
1) Camp Ten Oaks
2) Jer’s Vision, and
3) Capital Pride

See photo gallery from last year's 2010 Pride Week - click here

Please RSVP Deanna Schofield
pride@ottawaparamedics.ca

Sunday August 28, 2011

09:30 – Muster at HQ (pick up Ambulance and Float for parade)
10:00 – Parade staging (on Somerset west of Bank)
13:00 – Pride Parade Begins (ends at 14:30)

NOTE:  The parade will start on Wellington Street just west of Bronson and will head east on Wellington in front of Parliament Hill.   It will then head south on Elgin to Laurier and it will then head east on Laurier ending at Ottawa City Hall.

See photo gallery from last year's 2010 Pride Week - click here

Please RSVP Paul Morneau
pride@ottawaparamedics.ca

 

2011 OTTAWA PARAMEDIC GOLF TOURNAMENT - SOLD OUT!

Event:  Paramedic Golf Tournament
Location:  Meadows Golf and Country Club (http://www.themeadowsgolf.com/)
Address: 4335 Hawthorne Road, Ottawa
Date:  Thursday August 18, 2011 (A/C Platoon are off)
Time:  tee-off at 12:30pm sharp
Cost:  $380 per team (Includes: 4 golf passes, 2 motorized carts, 4 dinners)
Payment:  VISA or Mastercard

2011 OTTAWA PARAMEDIC HOCKEY TOURNAMENT A HUGE SUCCESS

Advanced Care Paramedic Martin Massé coordinated the 2011 Ottawa Paramedic Hockey Tournament and made it a huge success.  We would also like to recognize Tanis Choinière-Massé, Andrew Whyte, Cassie Willard and Andrea MacLean who volunteered their time in an effort to raise some money for the HELP Fund! 

Together, our Hockey Coordinator, volunteers and the teams below raised $2596.12 for the HELP Fund. 

2011 PPAO Hockey Tournament final scores:

Wednesday, February 16th

08:00 – Timmins EMS 3 – Ottawa Police 4
08:30 – Halton EMS 2 – Ottawa Paramedics B/D 1
09:00 – ORNGE 5 – Corrections 8
09:30 – Leeds & Grenville EMS 6 – Ottawa Paramedics A/C #2 3
10:00 – 4 County Allstars 0 – Ottawa Paramedics A/C #1 7
10:30 – Ottawa Fire 5 – York Region EMS 2
11:00 – Ottawa Police 11 – ORNGE 0
12:00 – Corrections 4 – Timmins EMS 3
13:00 – Ottawa Paramedics A/C #1 0 – Ottawa Fire 2
13:30 – Ottawa Paramedics A/C #2 0 – Halton EMS 6
14:00 – York Region EMS 8 – 4 County Allstars 0
14:30 – Ottawa Paramedics B/D 5 – Leeds & Grenville EMS 4

Thursday, February 17th

08:30 – Corrections 4 – Ottawa Police 7
09:00 – Timmins EMS 9 - ORNGE 2
09;30 – Ottawa Fire 10 – 4 County Allstars 1
10:00 – York Region EMS 5 - Ottawa Paramedics A/C #1 2
10:30 – Leeds & Grenville EMS 3 – Halton EMS 1
11:00 – Ottawa Police 6 – York Region EMS 1 (Competitive Semi Final)
11:30 – Ottawa Paramedics B/D 6 – Ottawa Paramedics A/C #2 2
12:30 – Halton EMS 7 - Ottawa Paramedics A/C #2 1 (Recreational Semi Final)
13:00 – Ottawa Fire 5 - Corrections 1 (Competitive Semi Final)
13:30 – Leeds & Grenville EMS 3 - Ottawa Paramedics B/D 5 (Recreational Semi Final)
13:30 – Lanark EMS 7 - Leeds & Grenville Nitro Shooters 6 (shootout)
14:00 – Ottawa Fire 2 – Ottawa Police 7 (Competitive Final)
14:30 – Halton EMS 1 – Ottawa Paramedics B/D 3 (Recreational Final)

We would like to thank the following sponsors for making the 2011 Ottawa Paramedic Hockey Tournament a phenomenal success:

PPAO LANDS NATIONAL TV COMMERCIAL

On Saturday July 10th, the Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa participated in a component for a National Television Commercial that was filmed by www.Parktown.ca, a local production company. 

President Darryl Wilton landed the deal which features real Ottawa Paramedics for only a few seconds, but hey, it’s better than having another commercial out there that features “left over uniforms from the 1970’s” or “private transfer company staff in orange shirts”.  Overall, the commercial (produced in both official languages) has components that feature casualties, paramedics, police, firefighters and emergency department staff.

The Public Service Announcement commercial was shot for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and will feature information about Enhanced 9-1-1 whereby call-takers have the ability to locate cell phones with GPS positioning. 

Our 2010 National Paramedic Competition winners, Fergus Graham and Chelsea Robertson were chosen to play the part of paramedics.  Like a true celebrity however, Chelsea ended up being stuck in Toronto and attempts to fly her back to Ottawa on time for the shoot were unsuccessful.  So, Paramedic Sue Noël had to stand in as Chelsea’s stunt double.

We would also like to thank the medic crews who gave up Kanata Base for over 4 hours while the commercial was being shot between 8am and 12pm and Ottawa Paramedic Service Executive for assisting with the approval process.

Pictures from the shoot are posted under the Photos link on the left side of your screen.

2010 PARAMEDIC GOLF TOURNAMENT A HUGE SUCCESS - THR AUG 19, 2010

The 2010 Paramedic Golf Tournament took place on Thursday August 19, 2010 at the Meadows Golf and Country Club with a 12:30pm shotgun start. 
 
The tournament sold out once again and was a huge success!
 
We would like to recognize the enormous achievement of Paramedic Erin Brown (golf@OttawaParamedics.ca) who coordinated her first ever Golf Tournament.  Most tournament organizers are able raise $1500-$2500 on their first attempt.  Erin Brown did an absolutely fantastic job and surpassed all expectations.
 
Thanks to an incredible effort, Erin Brown’s 2010 Paramedic Golf Tournament raised $5807.70 for the HELP FUND.  Prescott-Russell had the winning team with 9 under par.  One word describes it all:  "Amazing"!
 
The highlights:
 
•         Bruce Binda won the ball guess (222 balls in the bin) and kept them all
•         Warren Brown almost won a new Toyota.  He missed the hole-in-one by 16"
•         Marc-André Periard (Prescott-Russell) donated back all 50:50 winnings for $835
•         Chief Anthony Di Monte raised $130 in a live auction for a set of titanium golf clubs
•         Kelly Lacharity fell out of her chair a few times and won a prize for it
•         John Shail won the longest drive
•         Brian Visser won the shortest kilt and also a prize for no kilt
•         Matthew Smith ended up with a new BBQ that he will use for offload delays
•         Chad Kennedy ended up with a new digital camera
•         Kathy Brown (Erin’s mom) ended up with a new Blu-ray DVD Player
•         Micah Rietschlin ended up with a new LCD TV and almost rolled his golf cart into a pond
•         Best Dressed Women’s Team: Stephanie Dore, Andrea Maclean and Rachel Armstrong 
•         Best Dressed Men’s Team:  Eric Kapcala, Jeff Sills, Andrew Bremner and Kyle Griffiths
•         Denis Gagnon went crazy and won the “Nervous Nelly” contest
•         Rosemary Bentley danced it up and won the “Junk in Your Trunk” contest
•         Faye Proctor won “Beer Pong”…  nobody was surprised
•         And piles of people won dozens of Tim Horton’s gift cards in addition to many other prizes
 
Check the photos and sponsors online at www.OttawaParamedics.ca.

In May 2010, a few determined Ottawa Paramedics have decided to get together and participate in the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride.  This US-based ride is held annually to raise money for the fallen angels’ fund.  "Fallen angels" are paramedics who have passed away on or off duty and the collected funds assist the families of these paramedics.

The ride will start in Portland, Maine and will finish in Washington, DC.  It will cover 865kms of various terrains, including a ride through NYC.

This year, 150 paramedics across the US are anticipated to join the ride, along with 150 support vehicles driving behind them (MORE INFO:  http://muddyangels.org/).  We need your HELP!

Make your donation at http://www.ottawaparamedics.ca/ by visiting the Donations link.

Do you know a fallen paramedic and want us to cycle in their honour?  Please support your Canadian paramedics in this journey so that we may remember our own fallen angels!

Contact Sylvie Rochon at EMSride@OttawaParamedics.ca 

Benevolent Updates:

• 2010-12-06 Paramedic Dies in the Line of Duty in Alberta - SEE LINK
• 2010-11-06 Tofino Honours Fallen Paramedics - SEE WESTERLY NEWS
• 2010-11-06 Tofino Honours Fallen Paramedics - SEE NEWS
• 2010-11-06 B.C.A.S. Memorandum - SEE RELEASE
• 2010-11-06 Tofino B.C. Paramedic Memorial - SEE RELEASE
• 2010-10-18 B.C. Ambulance Line of Duty Deaths - CTV REPORT
• 2010-10-08 Guelph area Paramedic murdered - SEE NEWS

From: YourOttawaRegion.com

January 15, 2010

Ottawa Paramedic Service Chief Anthony Di Monte has released the identities of his paramedics who helped Constable Eric Czapnik in his final hour.

On Dec. 29, Const. Czapnik was killed in the line of duty at the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital. Paramedics already at the scene immediately tried to save Czapnik while others helped restrain his attacker.

“This has been a very difficult loss for the entire community. On a daily basis, the city’s emergency services work together to ensure the safety and protection of all of our citizens. That makes this loss especially difficult for Ottawa’s first responders,” Di Monte said.

The paramedics involved cannot provide comment on the events of Dec. 29 to ensure the integrity of the current legal proceedings related to this case, Di Monte said in a press statement.

In order to ensure the integrity of this case but still provide information, the paramedic service has released the names, photos, and short biographies of the four paramedics, the chief said.

The four members of the Ottawa Paramedic Service were present at the scene and provided assistance and support to Const. Czapnik are Craig MacInnes, Patricia St. Denis, Amanda Walkowiak, and Virginia Warner.

“They represent the very best of our profession and I am proud of their courage and professionalism during such a dangerous and traumatic incident,” Di Monte said.

PHOTO (from left to right): Paramedics Craig MacInnes, Virginia Warner, Patricia St. Denis & Amanda Walkowiak

Craig MacInnes, Advanced Care Paramedic

MacInnes has spent 22 years in the field of paramedicine in both clinical and management roles. The 41-year-old MacInnes graduated from the Advanced Care Paramedic program at Holland College in Prince Edward Island. He also holds a diploma in Emergency Health Services from Dalhousie University.

Patricia St. Denis, Primary Care Paramedic

St. Denis has been a paramedic for two years and with the Ottawa Paramedic Service since early 2009. The 24-year-old trained at St-Lawrence College in Cornwall where she obtained her diploma in Paramedicine.

Amanda Walkowiak, Primary Care Paramedic

Walkowiak joined the Ottawa Paramedic Service in 2005. The 26-year-old Walkowiak took her paramedic training at Algonquin College in Ottawa, receiving her diploma in Paramedicine in 2006.

Virginia Warner, Advanced Care Paramedic

Warner has been a paramedic for five years, graduating from Toronto’s Humber College in 2005 as a Primary Care Paramedic. The 29-year-old Warner has recently obtained her certification as an Advanced Care Paramedic. She also holds a Bachelor of Sciences’ degree in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario.

Previous Events

The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa is proud of the following events that we previously participated in. 

Advanced Care Paramedic Martin Massé coordinated the 2010 Ottawa Paramedic Hockey Tournament and made it a huge success.  We would also like to recognize Tanis Choinière-Massé, Mathieu Roy, Cassie Willard, Andrea MacLean and Candace Brandauer who volunteered their time in an effort to raise some money for the HELP Fund! 

Together, our Hockey Coordinators, volunteers and the teams below raised $2092.17 for the HELP Fund. 

Here are the final scores:

2010 PPAO Hockey Tournament Scores
Wednesday, February 3rd

Don Jackson Rink
09:00 – Ottawa Police 3 - Corrections 2
10:00 – ORNGE 2 - Timmins EMS 6
11:00 – Ottawa Police 2 - Ottawa Fire 1 (shootout)
12:00 – Corrections 1 - ORNGE 5
13:00 – Timmins EMS 3 - York Region EMS 6
14:00 – Ottawa Fire 4 - Ottawa Paramedics 0

North American Rink
09:30 – Halton EMS 3 - Ultimate Tours 2
10:30 – Ottawa Paramedics 0 - York Region EMS 3
11:30 - Lanark EMS 6 - Leeds & Grenville EMS Nitro Shooters 5
12:30 – Ultimate Tours 1 - Ottawa Hazards 5
13:30 – Halton EMS vs Leeds 6 - Grenville EMS Nitro Shooters 3
14:30 – Ottawa Hazards 5 - Lanark EMS 8

2010 PPAO Hockey Tournament Scores
Thursday, February 4th

Don Jackson Rink
09:00 – Corrections 2 - Timmins EMS 10
10:00 – Ottawa Police 2 - ORNGE 3
11:00 – York Region EMS 3 - Ottawa Fire 2 (shootout)

Semi Finals – Competitive Division
12:00 – York Region EMS 4 - Ottawa Police 3 (shootout)
13:00 – Timmins EMS 4 - ORNGE 1

FINAL - Competitive Division
14:00 – Timmins EMS 3 - York Region EMS 0

North American Rink
09:30 – Ultimate Tours 1 - Leeds & Grenville EMS Nitro Shooters 5
10:30 – Ottawa Hazards 1 - Ottawa Paramedics 7
11:30 – Halton EMS 4 - Lanark EMS 2

Semi Finals - Recreational Division
12:30 – Halton EMS 7 - Ottawa Hazards 1
13:30 –  Lanark EMS 7 - Leeds & Grenville Nitro Shooters 6 (shootout)

FINAL  - Recreational Division
14:30 – Halton EMS 2 - Lanark EMS 1

Paramedic Association of Canada Survey (please choose one)

• Practitioner Survey (English)
• NON-Practitioner Survey (English)
• Enquête de l'APC auprès des praticiens (en français)
• Enquête de l'APC auprès des non-praticiens (en français) 

The PPAO is planning a load of events but we cannot roll any of them out without volunteers. Please also remind students to get involved as we provide community service letters and note public relations hours for all volunteers.
 
If you want more information about any of these events, please read below.

JUNE 2008 - Scope of Practice Posters now in bases

About a month ago, ACP Chris Bugelli brought an excellent idea to the PPAO executive. 

While on duty in Carp, Chris fielded a number of questions from new volunteer firefighter recruits regarding paramedic prerequisites, education and scope of practice. 

Chris mentioned that although our Scope of Practice cards were great, we should look at creating a large Scope of Practice poster that could be posted in all bases.

The Scope of Practice cards already went through an extensive stakeholder process which included input from paramedics, base hospital, local colleges, Ottawa Paramedic Service, other groups and six months of work.  Lucky for us, Chris Bugelli had great timing which made the creation of a poster a relatively simple and accurate task. 

Within a month, we had gone from concept to drafts, to executive approvals, to the finalized 24”x36” poster, to print, to placing posters in all the bases (and yes, we are still trying to figure out how to stick them to the walls properly). 

The next step is to get approval from hospitals to place the posters on all floors.  It is all about promoting the profession of paramedicine and advocating for better patient care.  If you would like to help the PPAO with this process, please contact us through http://www.ottawaparamedics.ca/.

NOTE:  The only other thing we should mention is that the PPAO Scope of Practice cards and posters are slightly ahead of their time.  The “Critical Patient Management” bypass criteria contains information that is general knowledge for some medics but not others.  During development of the cards, we began working with folks at Base Hospital to have this info released as official guidelines so that all paramedics (especially new recruits) are protected by measures that allow them to bypass hospitals in order to provide patients with the best possible definitive care based on clinical condition.  It is our hope that the official bypass criteria will be released by Base Hospital in the near future.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF SCOPE OF PRACTICE POSTER HERE

The PPAO is currently recruiting committee members. These committee's are a very important part of our association and don't require a ton of work. If you want more information about our committees, please visit www.OttawaParamedics.ca and go to our MEMBERS area. Try to match yourself up with a PPAO Committee and help us build a powerful chapter. An association can only be as strong as it's membership.

The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa is responsible for promoting the practice of Paramedicine and ensuring the highest level of care for our patients.  We are leaders in the advancement of Paramedicine and achieve our objectives through public awareness, research and education.  We lobby for self-regulation under the Regulated Health Professions Act.  We also assist in fundraising for community-based charities.  The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa is a proud chapter of the Ontario Paramedic Association and the Paramedic Association of Canada. The Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa (PPAO) is not a labour union.