Wherever you go in Sudbury, or in most Northern Ontario towns for that matter, you might not notice them but the invisible guardians are always there.
It's a name that was applied many years ago to the huge corps of volunteers that make up the St. John Ambulance volunteer group and takes part in so many public events. Many people never seem to notice them, but if there is an injury or an illness, a St. John Ambulance volunteer is always there to help out.
The Sudbury branch took some time Saturday to pay tribute to their volunteers and workers with an awards event held at the Albert Street training and administrative centre.
"It's an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of our many volunteers. Those individuals are in the community at events, ensuring safety and security for individuals, and also engaged in public education about the importance of first aid. So we're going to celebrate those individuals today," said Kevin McCormick, Honourary Commissioner of St. John Ambulance for Northeastern Ontario.
"The need for first aid happens everywhere; it could be a cut at home, it could be a heart attack in a public arena, it could be a small accident that happens on the road," said McCormick.
He said the St. John volunteers know the important first steps to take until medical professionals arrive on the scene.
"And I know firsthand that our volunteers are everywhere. And they do it not because they're paid -- they're not -- but because they genuinely want to be there and want to contribute in their own unique way," he said.
Dominique Baldasaro, chief of the St. John Ambulance medical first-responder unit, said her team takes part in numerous local events throughout the year.
"For instance, we were at the Walden Winter Carnival, we go to the kart club, we go to different cross country skiing events, different cross country running events, at the Northern Lights, at music festivals and a lot of different things," she said.
"I think it's important to have individuals who are ready to act in necessary scenarios where our first aid care needs to be provided. And not only that, but we also get the opportunity to attend these events, which is really beneficial for us and just getting out to community events that we wouldn't necessarily get out to otherwise," she added.
Sean Pretty, chair of the St. John council for Ontario, said the Sudbury branch has a history going back to the early 1950s and it has become a part of the landscape for so many community events.
Pretty said it was important to show support for many other community organizations by taking part in their events.
"St. John Ambulance supports all organizations, and sadly, many organizations who run community events cannot afford to provide services simply because they're not-for-profit. So St. John Ambulance willingly volunteers our time, thanks in part to our great staff and our volunteers who received no pay or remuneration whatsoever," said Pretty.
Several awards of for years of service in the Order of St. John were presented as follows:
- 15 years: Paul Henry
- 10 years: Beth Smith, Christopher McCormick
- 7 years: William McCormick
- 5 years: Sarah Bird
- 3 years: Paul Pedersen, Daniel Proulx, Dominique Baldasaro, Noah Beausoleil
- 1 year: Daniel Brisson, Caleb Smith, Chelsey Pilon, Genevieve Martel, Matthew Gordon
More information about St. John Ambulance is available on the website. The Sudbury chapter also has a Facebook page.
