August 30, 2006

Tomorrow is Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Day at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). EMS personnel from across the GTA will put on a variety of educational displays and demonstrations for the public. Paramedics and vehicles from Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, and York Region EMS systems will also be on hand.

Residents will be able to meet EMS team members and see what happens when 9-1-1 is called - from the Emergency Medical Dispatchers who take the calls to the paramedics who respond and assess, treat, and transport patients. Residents will also learn about emergency preparedness, CPR, First Aid, public access defibrillation, EMS’s community medicine program, and the Scouts Canada Medical Venturer Program for young people.

In addition, EMS staff and vehicles from across the GTA, along with the Toronto EMS Honour Guard and the MedVents, will join the daily CNE Mardi Gras Parade.

Date: Thursday, August 31
Time: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (parade at 6 p.m.)
Place: EMS Community Park, Canadian National Exhibition (west side of the Food Building, near EMS 35 Station on Manitoba Drive)

The event will include activities for the whole family, and free junior paramedic stickers and tattoos, colouring sheets, and cut out ambulances for kids. Information about what kids need to know when calling 9-1-1 will also be provided.

Media contact:
Larry Roberts, Co-ordinator, Media Relations, Toronto EMS, (cell) 416-708-8125