Paramedic Services Week runs from May 18–25
BONNYVILLE – Emily Russell has been a paramedic in Bonnyville for two months now, and says she prefers the emergent calls to the facility transfers – even when those emergent calls can surprise responding emergency workers.
“I really like those, just because you never know really what you're going for until you get it. One thing that I did not realize was just how different the actual call can be versus what we get from dispatch,” says Russell.
By way of example, she shares the story of one of her first calls where she was told they were responding to a person who had been hit by a quad. They arrived on the scene to find no quad was involved at all. The patient was struck by an alarm clock.
Bonnyville EMS responded to an average of 299 calls per month in 2024. In the average month, 180 were to emergencies in the region and 118 were inter facility transfers, which could mean taking a patient to Cold Lake for a CT scan or taking a patient to a hospital in Edmonton for a higher level of care.
“I wasn't expecting so much of the transfer type calls that we get,” admits Russell.
Originally from Spruce Grove, the 23-year-old passed up a job offer from the City of Edmonton when she graduated, choosing to come to Bonnyville instead.
“I was really drawn to the rural part of it,” says Russell.
“You get to know your co-workers a little bit more, you build bonds with them more,” she says, citing the on-site accommodations that are provided to paramedics who come from out of town to work in Bonnyville.
“We watch movies and stuff. We did watch the Oilers game last night, it was fun to watch it with them,” says Russell.
Asked about her first impressions, Russell admits she hasn’t been able to get out into the community much yet when she’s off shift but says, “everyone seems very welcoming.”
So far, one of the best parts of the job is how there is always something new and exciting happening.
“If you want to push yourself, this is a great job to do as long as you are able to do it and your mental health enables you to do it,” says Russell.
To stay healthy mentally, Russell says it is important to keep a bit of distance once she is off shift.
“I like to go to the gym. I like to swim. When I'm home, I like to just focus on being home, being with my dog, being with my friends. And then when you’re on shift you focus on the work again.”
