“I think paramedics are important is because they save people’s lives. I want to be a paramedic for a day because I want to save a person’s life,” says Sterling Lane, a Grade 5 student from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Collingwood in his video shown to Simcoe County council on Tuesday.
Lane’s video was the winning submission in the County of Simcoe Paramedic for a Day contest, which asked students county-wide to submit videos on why paramedics are important to them.
More than 40 students entered the competition.
Lane’s video showed him demonstrating the MARCH method, one paramedics use to assess the health of a patient upon arrival on a scene.
“My dad taught me,” said Lane. “He used to be a paramedic.”
Lane says being a paramedic is “on his list” of aspiring vocations he’d like to try when he grows up. Also on the list are scientist, Lego designer and parkour expert.
“It’s interesting and important,” he said. “If there’s no paramedics, people are just going to die.”
On Tuesday, Lane had the opportunity to learn about splints and bandages. He took tours of the Barrie North paramedic station as well as the newly opened Collingwood station.
Midday, he was able to respond to a mock scenario. The call came in over the radio.
“A 25-year-old female with possible left elbow and left leg injury,” crackled a voice over the radio. Lane took the call and the group took off in an ambulance toward the County of Simcoe administration building in Midhurst to assess the scene.
Upon arrival, Lane helped guide the stretcher through the halls, eventually finding the patient on the floor in one of the conference rooms. With the help of primary care paramedic Christos Bamparamos, Lane was able to brace and wrap the patient’s arm and foot, help her onto the stretcher, and even help check her blood sugar before wheeling her out of the building and putting her in the back of the waiting ambulance.
To view Lane’s winning video submission, as well as the presentation at Simcoe County council, click here.
