Paramedic Memorial Bell Taken on a 100 KM Trip Through Oxford County

Tuesday, 23 June 2020 16:49

Oxford County Paramedics spent the day on Monday doing a 100 km bike ride with the Paramedic Memorial Bell. The bell is meant to honour all paramedics who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

OXFORD COUNTY - Paramedics in Oxford County spent the day on Monday cycling through the region on a 100 km ride, with a memorial bell.

Primary Care Paramedic Tanya Hirtz explains why they did this ride.

"So we had the privilege of receiving the Paramedic Memorial Bell, it is a bell that honours all paramedics who have lost their lives in the line of duty. This is part of a bike ride each year, called the Tour Paramedic Bike Ride that occurs in provinces across Canada."

The bike ride was cancelled this year because of COVID-19, and they have been transporting this bell to all of the Paramedic services in Ontario. Monday was Oxford County's turn and Hirtz says they wanted to show it off.

"So we decided to take it on a 100 km bike ride, touring around some picturesque locations in Oxford County. I think their was about 9 paramedics that completed the 100 km journey with it on Monday."

Hirtz says the trip was a way to show solidarity and support for all of the fallen paramedics and to honour them and remember them.

"We had several stops at key locations and we would take time to reflect upon our professions, our colleagues, those that have lost their lives in the line of duty and we also want to make sure to have our thoughts go out to anyone who is struggling with mental health illness. In our profession, we unfortunately see a lot of trauma and it can affect a lot of paramedics, a lot of people suffer in silence and some ultimately die due to suicide as well, so we also wanted to take some time to reflect on those struggling and those who have lost their lives to suicide."

Since 1980, there are 50 paramedics on record who have lost their lives during the line of duty in Canada. Hirtz adds they did a small ceremony at Southside Park on Tuesday.

"We had the honour of having one of the fallen paramedics, Chris Snowball, he died in an air ambulance crash, just a few years ago and we had the honour of having his wife be in attendance of our service, so it was a nice touch to be able to have her witness the ceremony and we thanked her and her family for Chris's service to his country."

Snowball died in 2013 in a tragic helicopter crash.