When the coronavirus pandemic hit, working from home wasnB次元官网网址檛 an option for everyone.

But that didnB次元官网网址檛 stop the B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) employees stationed on the West Shore from ensuring residents continued to receive care. This vital service was quick to adapt and paramedics remained on the frontlines.

The Courage and Bravery Award honours an individual or group who have exhibited great bravery while facing a threat to their own safety in coming to the aid of another. While conquering fear, this individual triumphed for the benefit of another.

With everything theyB次元官网网址檝e gone through during the past year and the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we could think of no more worthy recipients of this award than the West Shore B.C. Emergency Health Services personnel.

B次元官网网址淎mbulance has always been known as sort of the silent service,B次元官网网址� said Brad Cameron, BCEHS superintendent of patient care delivery for Greater Victoria.

In an interview last fall, Cameron talked about some of the challenges West Shore paramedics had already gone through during the pandemic as they braced for the second wave that was quickly gaining steam.

READ MORE: Local Heroes shine on the West Shore

With 30 years of experience on the street as a paramedic, Cameron has never seen anything like this. B次元官网网址淚t has added a level of complexity our paramedics have never seen before.B次元官网网址�

Unlike sterile environments in hospitals, members of BCEHS are going into homes where there is an enormous viral load. And as Cameron explained, paramedics canB次元官网网址檛 risk cross-contaminating their ambulance or emergency rooms.

Like many, BCEHS faced a shortage of personal protective equipment and was forced to find alternatives while keeping up with demand. Early supplies of N95 masks ran out but 3M Elastomeric Facepiece Respirators (EFR) had already been sourced. However, that was no small task.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just a matter of giving someone a mask and saying B次元官网网址榟ereB次元官网网址檚 your new maskB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� We had to fit test the entire province for the new EFRs,B次元官网网址� Cameron said.

Paramedics were then fitted again for another N95 alternative B次元官网网址� as well as being outfitted with gowns, gloves, eye protection and more.

B次元官网网址淵ou sweat like youB次元官网网址檙e standing in a shower,B次元官网网址� Cameron said of the summer months. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 extremely uncomfortable.B次元官网网址�

But despite everything they face during a shift, Cameron said paramedics are some of the most empathetic people on earth. B次元官网网址淲e go into the tenderest moments of peoplesB次元官网网址� lives.B次元官网网址�

And their job is never done as they are always responding to the next call.

Nominations for the 2022 Local Hero Awards West Shore open on Feb. 25. To learn more, go to .

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