Paul grew up in Orangeville and by Grade 13 he knew he wanted to attend school to become a Paramedic (back then it was referred to as Ambulance). At the time, his older sister was in Nursing and his mother worked in Switchboard at the Dufferin Area Hospital. Although he was accepted into University of Guelph for both their Veterinary and Respiratory Therapy Programs, he chose to become a Paramedic because he had always felt connected to the hospital and thought that it would be an exciting career.
In 1983, Paul attended Humber College and was hired on as a Paramedic by 1984. The excitement Paul was looking for certainly came early in his career.
One of his most memorable experiences happened when he was in his very first year of work. Paul remembers being called in for an emergency on May 1, 1985. He was driving the ambulance into Grand Valley when he and his partner began to see all sorts of destruction and debris – a Tornado had made its way through the town.
Before they arrived, they had no idea what had happened, so it was quite the shock! Two local physicians had set-up a triage area to help patients with the support of Paul and his colleagues. They were also responsible for transporting patients to the hospital. “There are a number of things that they don’t prepare you for in college and you get thrown into it. It was stressful, but we got through it,” said Paul.
By 2000, Paul stepped into a supervisory role, still going out on calls but taking on more leadership within the department. Within a few years after that, he acquired his current role of Deputy Chief, Operations, in which he handles the scheduling, payroll, vehicle maintenance, stock supply and overall daily operations of the staff and three bases.
Over the years, Paul has seen how the industry has changed. From when he first started working and paramedic services really took off as a career of choice for people, to when Headwaters became the license holder of the Dufferin County Paramedic Service, to initiating the Community Paramedic Program. He has loved being part of the evolution in the field of Paramedicine.
Paul shared, “Headwaters has always been supportive and has seen the value of our department. It’s a great working relationship that spills over to the county and when you have that kind of relationship it makes everything work very smoothly.”
Tom, Chief of Paramedics, has been working alongside Paul his entire career and their friendship goes well beyond work. He said, “Paul is a corner stone of the Dufferin County Paramedic Service, he has provided years of leadership and service at an exemplary level to the entire team and community. For those that know him, they will agree he has a heart of gold. No job is too big or too small and he is a true friend and leader in our community.”
Outside of work, Paul loves to keep active, playing hockey, baseball and golf throughout the year. In the summer months when he isn’t at work, you can find him at the cottage spending time with his family or fishing on the lake.
We thank Paul for his dedication and outstanding leadership within our community!
Photo caption: Paul (right) and Tom (Left) outside of the Dufferin County Emergency Response Unit Trailer beside the COVID-19 Assessment Centre.