HALIFAX: The provincial government recognized 62 long-time Emergency Health Services (EHS) employees for their hard work and dedication to keeping Nova Scotians safe.
Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services Minister Colton LeBlanc, a former paramedic, presented the long-service awards at a ceremony in Halifax on Nov. 21.
“I want to thank all of the award recipients for their years of service and dedication to the people of Nova Scotia,” LeBlanc said.
According to a press release issued by the province, the recipients have a combined 1,530 years of service saving lives and providing emergency care in Nova Scotia. To qualify for the long-service award, employees must have at least 20 years of service and be in good standing with the College of Paramedics of Nova Scotia, they said.
EHS employee Linda Delorey of Richmond County was among those honoured for their 20 years’ experience.
EHS employees with 25 years include: Shawn Burchell, of Margaree Valley; Trevor Fougere, of Port Hawkesbury; Angie Matheson, of Port Hastings; and Richard Porter, of Sherbrooke, Guysborough County.
Keith Veinotte, of Liscomb, Guysborough County was an EHS employee honoured for his 30 years on the job.
The province said there are about 1,200 paramedics in Nova Scotia, and in 2021, paramedics received about 183,500 calls, an average of about 500 per day.
There are more than 200 vehicles in the EHS fleet, including ambulances, patient transfer units used between health care facilities for people who do not require urgent care, and vehicles for the medical transport service, which carries people who do not require medical care to and from hospital.