Canada Post unveiled the first of five stamps honouring the country’s emergency responders today at the Ambulance New Brunswick headquarters in Fredericton, N.B.
Celebrating paramedics, this first stamp highlights the skilled, highly-trained and compassionate front-line emergency responders who provide medical care on the scene and en route to hospital. They respond to natural disasters and emergencies in communities across the country and attend virtually any situation—from heart attacks, drug overdoses, trauma events and incidents involving multiple casualties.
Once dispatched to an emergency, paramedics have daunting expectations, including arriving quickly, assessing and treating their patients with urgency, expertise and empathy, and co-ordinating with other emergency responders. Their expertise and professionalism have saved countless lives.
Canada Post and the stamp designers consulted with the Paramedic Association of Canada, which represents more than 20,000 practitioners, to ensure the stamp image is representative of paramedics in Canada.
An official first-day cover was also unveiled today in New Brunswick.
FIVE-STAMP SET
The other “Emergency Responders” stamps pay tribute to the Canadian Armed Forces, search and rescue experts, firefighters and police. All five stamps reflect Canadians’ respect and gratitude for the skills, service and sacrifices of the men and women who protect Canadians, sometimes by risking their own lives.
The stamp honouring members of the Canadian Armed Forces will be unveiled at Base Valcartier in Quebec tomorrow. A stamp honouring search and rescue experts will be unveiled in Banff, Alta. on Wednesday. The firefighters stamp will be unveiled in Halifax on Thursday and a stamp paying tribute to police officers will be unveiled in Ottawa on Friday.
The stamps will be available for purchase on canadapost.ca and at postal outlets across Canada beginning this Friday, Sept. 14.