Chief ambulance officer Leanne Heppell spoke to the crowd at the Fallen Paramedics Memorial.Bailey Seymour/News Staff
Bailey Seymour Sooke News Mirror May 7th 2025
Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Fallen Paramedics Memorial at the B.C. Legislature, members of BC Emergency Health Services, Ambulance Paramedics of BC and the BCAS 10-7 Association Society gathered for the official day of remembrance for paramedics who lost their lives in the line of duty.
On the Legislature lawn on Tuesday, May 7, community members, elected officials and paramedics gathered to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while on the job.
“I want to express my very deep appreciation for current and former B.C. ambulance paramedics, emergency call takers and dispatchers for the work that you do each and every day,” said B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne. “You provide access to emergency health services for people in communities large and small all across this beautiful province, and we are so grateful for your unwavering support and dedication to people.”
She specifically acknowledged the paramedics who gave support after the attack at a Lapu Lapu Day festival last month where an SUV plowed through a crowd of festival-goers in Vancouver, killing 11 and wounding dozens more.
Additionally, she mentioned the deaths of Tofino-based veteran paramedics – Jo-Ann Fuller and Ivan Polivka – who died in 2010 when they lost control of their ambulance and crashed down a cliff.
