As you may well know, the Paramedic Association of Manitoba golf tournament is coming again. Currently all proceeds go to the Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard however the ultimate goal is to make this tournament charitable to an organization (i.e. diabetes or spinal cord research). In return for this financial assistance, MPHG organizes the golf tournament.
Over the short 4 year history of this tournament, it's grown from about 50 golfers to 120 last year. We've made efforts to "circulate" this tournament around so Paramedics from different areas would have opportunity to participate / have shorter drives. During this growth and dealing with different courses, we've made mistakes and learned from them.
One of them is how to deal with golf carts. In the past, we've left it to the golfers to reserve and pay for the carts. Unfortunately, this has not worked well and in some circumstances it was PAM / MPHG that were left paying the unpaid bills with golf carts. Due to problems associated with the carts and the extremely high usage of them (almost 100% of golfers), we've decided to include them in this year's fees.
Last year's fees were $85. Change of venue, inflation, and the addition of golf carts & shirts raised the fees by $35 to $120 for early birds. Considering all the additional value given to the golfers, the increase barely covers costs. Contrary to popular belief, the golf tournament registration fees do not provide for much profit (less than $7 per golfer). As attendees have seen in past tournaments, organizations sponsor holes and generous donations are where efficient MPHG funding is done.
PAM and MPHG continue to organize this golf tournament as it is a great way for Paramedics to get together. For those interested in registration information, go to http://www.mphg.ca/PAM%20Golf.htm
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
changes
Well, I must say I am pleased about how quiet MPHG has been lately. We have not had any "unit activations" (i.e. funeral, LODD) for a while. Our group was honoured to have a role in the OCC event this year. It has been a welcomed respite after the extremely emotional funeral for our brother, Al Watson.
Even though we have been quiet, we have been making changes. We were allowed to become part of the Provincial Remembrance Day celebrations. We had our new applicants join us for drill during the fall. From that process, we have 3 more members! Unfortunately, our drill sargent had to leave us temporarily so we will have a new drill sargent for approximately 18 months.
The Professional Paramedics of Winnipeg and Central RHA recently gifted $1000 to us - thank you. We continue to need financial support for our activities and to dress more members. All our sponsors believe in us and our vision - thank you.
Changes are positive. We are growing and improving our ability to respond. Our role of representing Paramedics remains unchanged.
Even though we have been quiet, we have been making changes. We were allowed to become part of the Provincial Remembrance Day celebrations. We had our new applicants join us for drill during the fall. From that process, we have 3 more members! Unfortunately, our drill sargent had to leave us temporarily so we will have a new drill sargent for approximately 18 months.
The Professional Paramedics of Winnipeg and Central RHA recently gifted $1000 to us - thank you. We continue to need financial support for our activities and to dress more members. All our sponsors believe in us and our vision - thank you.
Changes are positive. We are growing and improving our ability to respond. Our role of representing Paramedics remains unchanged.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Promoting during the holidays
As you have seen via pictures on our site, and certainly comments on from your co-workers, members of MPHG have been busy. We've represented our great profession at different ceremonies/events this year. While a lot of difficult drills and an extreme amount personal time has been invested, we can say "it's been our pleasure". Our high visibility at events provides for great promotion of Paramedics in Manitoba and the causes Paramedics support.
We believe our involvement in events has also added to the great work Paramedics have already been doing. A great example is Operation Christmas Child. Paramedics from across Manitoba have been involved for years and this year was the first for MPHG. We were happy to lend our support. There are many other events Paramedics have done in the past (and continue doing). Hats off should go out to those Paramedics!!!
Which leads me to the reason for the title of this blog - there are many ways to promote during the holidays. As we all know, this is a busy season; not only call volume but also personal commitments. Some Paramedics have still found time to volunteer as a group for Operation Red Nose one night (great idea and sounds like a great time) and others volunteer with delivery of Christmas hampers. The simple act of making a difference by showing caring and "going that extra mile" for patients reflects positively on who we are and why we sacrifice our time in a most difficult job. Most of this is done with media fanfare or public recognition.
We just wanted to let you know, we are very proud of you!!!
We believe our involvement in events has also added to the great work Paramedics have already been doing. A great example is Operation Christmas Child. Paramedics from across Manitoba have been involved for years and this year was the first for MPHG. We were happy to lend our support. There are many other events Paramedics have done in the past (and continue doing). Hats off should go out to those Paramedics!!!
Which leads me to the reason for the title of this blog - there are many ways to promote during the holidays. As we all know, this is a busy season; not only call volume but also personal commitments. Some Paramedics have still found time to volunteer as a group for Operation Red Nose one night (great idea and sounds like a great time) and others volunteer with delivery of Christmas hampers. The simple act of making a difference by showing caring and "going that extra mile" for patients reflects positively on who we are and why we sacrifice our time in a most difficult job. Most of this is done with media fanfare or public recognition.
We just wanted to let you know, we are very proud of you!!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Why go to Remembrance Day activities?
There seems to be an apathy about Remembrance Day (or at least it seems to me). I'm not sure why this is occurring as I believe remembering is the most important part of not repeating the past. While that seems obvious, some people view Remembrance Day simply as a day off. As Paramedics, why does a military day of honour matter to us?
Well, we must remember where we come from. While we are civilians in civilian services, our history comes from the military. Advances in trauma management come from treatment of soldiers during military conflict. The advent of "medics" became well established and proven during the Vietnam War. These medics proved immediate care by well trained non-physicians could alter patient outcomes in a positive way. Kinda sounds the way we promote ourselves doesn't it? While we are not military, we do have military roots.
This Remembrance Day, I would like to challenge Paramedics to attend a Remembrance Day event. Get permission and go in uniform. Honour those who have forged our profession under military conflict. Honour those who are Paramedics who died while serving in the military (i.e. Cpl Stalker of Calgary EMS). Honour those non-medics who fought for our freedom. Honour those for whom you care.
The MPHG will be at the Winnipeg Convention Centre for the Provincial Ceremony. Hope to see you there - demonstrating our profession understands honour.
Well, we must remember where we come from. While we are civilians in civilian services, our history comes from the military. Advances in trauma management come from treatment of soldiers during military conflict. The advent of "medics" became well established and proven during the Vietnam War. These medics proved immediate care by well trained non-physicians could alter patient outcomes in a positive way. Kinda sounds the way we promote ourselves doesn't it? While we are not military, we do have military roots.
This Remembrance Day, I would like to challenge Paramedics to attend a Remembrance Day event. Get permission and go in uniform. Honour those who have forged our profession under military conflict. Honour those who are Paramedics who died while serving in the military (i.e. Cpl Stalker of Calgary EMS). Honour those non-medics who fought for our freedom. Honour those for whom you care.
The MPHG will be at the Winnipeg Convention Centre for the Provincial Ceremony. Hope to see you there - demonstrating our profession understands honour.
Monday, October 6, 2008
This can't be true
Those words were spoken many times in the evening of September 18th when news broke that Manitoba had lost one of its Paramedics in a tragic motor vehicle collision.
Al Watson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, Paramedic and Manitoba Honour Guard Member, was killed while en route to his home in Swan Lake MB after completing his shift at Kinasota station in the Central Region RHA.
The news shook the paramedic community in the province, sparking an immediate outpouring of support to Al’s family and colleagues.
Tributes flooded in to Al’s family from near and far through word of mouth, phone calls and the World Wide Web offering condolences and at the same time sharing some of their personal experiences with Al, be it personal or professional.
As a proud inaugural member of the Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard, Al’s family requested the assistance of the MPHG to conduct his service. We were proud to offer the family whatever assistance we could, all the while knowing that this service was going to be extremely difficult for us as a group.
Al was a friend within a very tight knit group that are proud to call themselves Guard Members. We have spent long hours together rehearsing our drill, fine tuning ourselves so we would be ready to honour a fallen comrade when the time. None of us could have ever imagined that we would soon lay our own brother to rest.
The morning of the service, Guard members departed Winnipeg and headed for the small community of Swan Lake, not quite sure what the day would hold in store for them. The logistics of the service has been worked out, but no one was quite sure of the emotional impact Al’s passing would have on us.
I am proud to say that EMS in this province came together during this tragedy and stood side by side to offer support to Al’s wife and family and well as coworkers. Paramedics attended from NEHA, SERHA, IRHA, Central RHA, Assiniboine, Parkland, Winnipeg as well as dispatchers from MTCC. Also in attendance were individuals representing various police and fire jurisdictions. The raw emotion felt when uniformed members gave a final salute to Al was something I will ever forget.
A big thank you to everyone who offered support during this difficult time, your assistance was invaluable.
Kevin Marten, MPHG Secretary
Al Watson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, Paramedic and Manitoba Honour Guard Member, was killed while en route to his home in Swan Lake MB after completing his shift at Kinasota station in the Central Region RHA.
The news shook the paramedic community in the province, sparking an immediate outpouring of support to Al’s family and colleagues.
Tributes flooded in to Al’s family from near and far through word of mouth, phone calls and the World Wide Web offering condolences and at the same time sharing some of their personal experiences with Al, be it personal or professional.
As a proud inaugural member of the Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard, Al’s family requested the assistance of the MPHG to conduct his service. We were proud to offer the family whatever assistance we could, all the while knowing that this service was going to be extremely difficult for us as a group.
Al was a friend within a very tight knit group that are proud to call themselves Guard Members. We have spent long hours together rehearsing our drill, fine tuning ourselves so we would be ready to honour a fallen comrade when the time. None of us could have ever imagined that we would soon lay our own brother to rest.
The morning of the service, Guard members departed Winnipeg and headed for the small community of Swan Lake, not quite sure what the day would hold in store for them. The logistics of the service has been worked out, but no one was quite sure of the emotional impact Al’s passing would have on us.
I am proud to say that EMS in this province came together during this tragedy and stood side by side to offer support to Al’s wife and family and well as coworkers. Paramedics attended from NEHA, SERHA, IRHA, Central RHA, Assiniboine, Parkland, Winnipeg as well as dispatchers from MTCC. Also in attendance were individuals representing various police and fire jurisdictions. The raw emotion felt when uniformed members gave a final salute to Al was something I will ever forget.
A big thank you to everyone who offered support during this difficult time, your assistance was invaluable.
Kevin Marten, MPHG Secretary
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
A "quiet" summer
Fortunately, we have only had one Canadian LODD (Canadian Forces medic Colin Wilmot). The US has had only 2. Relatively, it has been a "quiet" summer. That does not mean we haven't lost medics this summer. Quebec and Ontario have both lost members while they were on route to work. There has been uniform presence at both ceremonies even though they were not LODD.
Some question the appropriateness of such demonstrations of solidarity. We as Paramedics have been use to being outside of the public view for years and this is a change in behaviour. I would say a positive change in behaviour. While we are not traveling across the nation to attend these ceremonies, our local brethren in Quebec and Ontario have provided representation with honour. It is well documented the brotherhood of firefighters and police officers, it also exists in EMS. Our coworkers are our brothers and sisters that share incredible/indescribable experiences. Their loss is a loss to all of us. We care to show the public the honour we have for them - we do it by wearing our uniforms and providing the fallen's family any support they ask for. It is the least we can do.
While it has been a "quiet" summer on the LODD front, Paramedics have had to wear uniforms in times of grief for our fallen brothers and sisters.
Some question the appropriateness of such demonstrations of solidarity. We as Paramedics have been use to being outside of the public view for years and this is a change in behaviour. I would say a positive change in behaviour. While we are not traveling across the nation to attend these ceremonies, our local brethren in Quebec and Ontario have provided representation with honour. It is well documented the brotherhood of firefighters and police officers, it also exists in EMS. Our coworkers are our brothers and sisters that share incredible/indescribable experiences. Their loss is a loss to all of us. We care to show the public the honour we have for them - we do it by wearing our uniforms and providing the fallen's family any support they ask for. It is the least we can do.
While it has been a "quiet" summer on the LODD front, Paramedics have had to wear uniforms in times of grief for our fallen brothers and sisters.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Let's be safe out there...
There are many risks to being an EMS provider - blood borne pathogens, violent people, and uncontrolled, chaotic scenes to mention a few. We are witnesses to "things going bad" or "bad luck" everyday. While we are witnesses to such events, do we do anything to evaluate/educate ourselves in our protection?
Here in Manitoba, we celebrate the fact our government passed legislation for provision of a blood sample from a patient in the case of an exposure. This legislation allows providers to have some peace of mind. Hard work from the Paramedic Assn of Manitoba made this happen. They were the leaders in advocating such legislation to the benefit of all emergency providers. Congratulations PAM on your hard work resulting in our protection.
Unfortunately, we see how our world is becoming more violent. It is not only in the larger cities, but also in rural areas. We are all exposed to risks, in some ways rural practitioners are more at risk as back up is farther away. I must commend some Paramedics and their employers for recognizing these changes in our work places. Central RHA has evaluated a 5 day Paramedic Self Defense program. The City of Winnipeg EMS (yes, WEMS is their new, official name) provided a modified, one day seminar for all its Paramedics. As a participant of the WEMS program, I see the value in such a self defense program and would encourage all Paramedics to have their employer provide you with a similar program.
Chaotic scenes are "the norm" for us!!! It is a statement you hear however it instills a sense a complacency also. A evening rush hour crash with 2 trauma arrests and 2 other patients. A midday highway crash involving a car and 4 cyclists - 2 trauma arrests. And in the US, two medivac choppers crashing with 6 fatalities. These are all great news stories but for Paramedics we have more to the story. The carnage and the reactions of the public who witness it are also part of our memories. The risks taken (subconsciously) - rush hour traffic trying to get through your accident scene, highway traffic zooming by, and exploding helicopters injuring 2 Paramedics with the ground ambulances responding to the crash.
We need to keep in mind our safety. It weighs upon us greatly while becoming second nature. The events I described all occurred within the last 5 days. It is the nature of our work environment. We must also work hard to ensure we are not having "things going bad" or any "bad luck" as it may cost us our lives. Let's be safe out there....
Here in Manitoba, we celebrate the fact our government passed legislation for provision of a blood sample from a patient in the case of an exposure. This legislation allows providers to have some peace of mind. Hard work from the Paramedic Assn of Manitoba made this happen. They were the leaders in advocating such legislation to the benefit of all emergency providers. Congratulations PAM on your hard work resulting in our protection.
Unfortunately, we see how our world is becoming more violent. It is not only in the larger cities, but also in rural areas. We are all exposed to risks, in some ways rural practitioners are more at risk as back up is farther away. I must commend some Paramedics and their employers for recognizing these changes in our work places. Central RHA has evaluated a 5 day Paramedic Self Defense program. The City of Winnipeg EMS (yes, WEMS is their new, official name) provided a modified, one day seminar for all its Paramedics. As a participant of the WEMS program, I see the value in such a self defense program and would encourage all Paramedics to have their employer provide you with a similar program.
Chaotic scenes are "the norm" for us!!! It is a statement you hear however it instills a sense a complacency also. A evening rush hour crash with 2 trauma arrests and 2 other patients. A midday highway crash involving a car and 4 cyclists - 2 trauma arrests. And in the US, two medivac choppers crashing with 6 fatalities. These are all great news stories but for Paramedics we have more to the story. The carnage and the reactions of the public who witness it are also part of our memories. The risks taken (subconsciously) - rush hour traffic trying to get through your accident scene, highway traffic zooming by, and exploding helicopters injuring 2 Paramedics with the ground ambulances responding to the crash.
We need to keep in mind our safety. It weighs upon us greatly while becoming second nature. The events I described all occurred within the last 5 days. It is the nature of our work environment. We must also work hard to ensure we are not having "things going bad" or any "bad luck" as it may cost us our lives. Let's be safe out there....
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