Ontario Paramedics Gather for Colleague's Funeral

They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in absolute silence, hundreds of emergency workers from across Canada in a show of solidarity that spoke volumes.

The paramedics, police officers and firefighters braved the cold, burdened by sadness, standing in tribute along a quiet street for the funeral procession of fallen medic Paul Patterson yesterday afternoon.

"It's an honour to be here," said Edmonton paramedic Amy Hassen, a member of that organization's honour guard.

"We do the same job and those risks are definitely real for us."

Patterson, 30, was a Chatham-Kent paramedic killed when his EMS vehicle crashed as he responded to a Blenheim collision during a bad storm last Sunday. Patterson was buried in this southwestern Ontario community near his hometown of Kerwood.

An estimated 1,600 people packed a local country club, including paramedics from across southwestern Ontario, the province's north and provinces as far as Alberta and New Brunswick.

During the emotional 75-minute service, Patterson was remembered as a funny young man who loved his job and lived for his family.

His aunt, Karen Carroll, read aloud a letter she'd written her nephew.

"We take comfort in knowing that your final day was spent doing what you loved most," she said. "I truly believe that your job as a paramedic was your calling in life."

Dwayne Purdy, a fellow Chatham-Kent paramedic, recalled pranks Patterson played on co-workers and the reassuring confidence he showed patients he treated.

Patterson had what Purdy called "the heart and soul of the quintessential paramedic," and his death has taken a major toll on co-workers who deal with life-and-death situations daily.

"I've been a paramedic for 19 years and I've experienced a lot of death. . . . This has been the hardest death I've ever faced," Purdy said.

Following the funeral, a paramedics honour guard stood watch as the casket was taken to a Strathroy cemetery.

For co-workers struggling with the shock of the death, the show of support from so many colleagues nationwide was overwhelming.

"It was a wonderful thing, the gathering of all the 911 services," said paramedic Mickey Parr.

"It's not often that (an on-duty death) happens, but you get choked up thinking that when it does, you have this kind of outpouring."

Paramedics from Windsor, Sarnia and Elgin and Middlesex counties covered the Chatham-Kent area, allowing everyone working for Sun Parlour -- the company that operates the region's ambulance services -- to attend the funeral.

It was about 10 a.m. Sunday when Patterson responded to a crash just west of Blenheim. He'd only driven a few kilometres toward the scene when his EMS vehicle left an icy Talbot Trail and rolled into the ditch.

He was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead in hospital.

In Canada, it's estimated one paramedic a year dies in the line of duty. It's believed Patterson's was the region's first in about two decades.

Besides his brother and twin sister, Patterson is survived by parents Wayne and Clara. He also leaves behind Claire Owens, who was described as his "soul mate," and her young son Brenden.

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