Airdronians got a chance to see EMS up close and personal, and not during one of the worst times of their lives earlier today (May 31).

As part of National Paramedic Services Week which runs through Saturday, EMS Fleet Days was held at Genesis Place.  It was a chance for people to see  and explore ambulances and see some of the apparatus and equipment they use.

Ryan Middleton, an EMT with Alberta Health Services who lives in Airdrie says the questions they received ranged from the very basic to just a bit more complex.  "Some of the questions, 'what's all this stuff on the table.'  Other questions are, 'can I go in the ambulance and can I have a juice box.'  We're here to answer all sorts of questions about what the equipment is, what it does, when we'd use it, when they'd hopefully need to use us or see us and how to get in contact with us if they do."

Middleton says these sorts of days are a positive way for the EMS to interact with the public.  "We like to see them here when they're coming and going about the normal activities of their daily life.  Maybe if they ever do have to utilize EMS they're going to be a little less afraid and a little more informed about what we do and who we're there to help."

As a person who lives in Airdrie, Middleton is very aware of the challenges of keeping up with medical services in a booming city.  "Airdrie is a quickly growing city and our EMS system is quickly trying to adapt to the specific needs that's going to cause.  So we have four ambulances that work in Airdrie, three of them on a 24 hour basis and one of them 12 hours a day.  Now that our Urgent Care is 24 hours as well, we've been working with all those allied health care teams to keep up with the demand."  

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