Lanark County Paramedic Service

10/15/2026

🎉 A life-saving addition to our community! 🎉

On Tuesday, October 13, the Township of Lanark Highlands proudly joined Scott Reid, MP for Lanark—Frontenac, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil a new outdoor SaveStation AED at the Municipal Offices.

This important resource will help make life-saving equipment more accessible to residents and visitors when every second counts.

We extend our sincere thanks to Scott Reid, MP for Lanark—Frontenac; Lanark County Paramedic Service; Action First Aid; and the ACT Foundation for their collaboration and support in making this installation possible.

10/15/2026

🚨 RADIOTHON FOR LOCAL HEALTHCARE IS TOMORROW! 🚨
- Thursday, October 15
- 8 AM – 6 PM

92.3 WOW FM and Hustle & Heart 88.1 myFM are coming together tomorrow for a 10-hour Radiothon, raising money to support healthcare close to home!

Tune in and hear amazing stories and interviews from local medical staff and donors about the impact every dollar makes in your community. Your support and generosity will support your Almonte General Hospital Fairview Manor Foundation Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital Foundation and Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation purchase needed medical equipment and programs, helping our staff provide the best care to you and your families.

Thank you to these incredible sponsors for making this radiothon possible:
Stephanie Mols - Realtor
Scott Somerville C21 PERTH Area Properties
North&Bun
Action Landscaping
Tayside Motorsports
Van Horne Manor Retirement Residence, Smiths Falls

Let's all come together to support local healthcare and strengthen our communities!

10/15/2026

Press Release
For Immediate Release

Scott Reid MP Announces the Unveiling of the Lanark Highlands Township Building’s New Outdoor SaveStation

Tuesday October 13, 2026

I am happy to announce during Sudden Cardiac Arrest month the unveiling of the Township of Lanark Highlands building’s new Outdoor SaveStation.

This was made possible in collaboration with the Township of Lanark Highlands, the Lanark County Paramedic Service, Action First Aid, and The ACT Foundation.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating due to an electrical malfunction - most commonly a dangerous rhythm called ventricular fibrillation. The heart quivers chaotically instead of pumping rhythmically, cutting off oxygen to the brain and body. Without immediate intervention, SCA is almost always fatal.

-Each year in Canada 60,000 SCAs occur outside of hospitals.
-1 in 10 out-of-hospital SCA victims currently survive.
-Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces survival chances by 10%.
-Survival rates can increase by up to 75% or more when CPR is started immediately & an AED is used.

The majority of cardiac arrests happen in locations without an AED nearby. Most AEDs in Canada are located indoors restricted to daily business hours rendering them useless after hours. A cardiac arrest can happen at all hours and it’s critical that we create the infrastructure and accessibility to AEDs during any time of day.

An unfortunate example of this is in the case of Andrew Stoddart from Kintore, Ontario, in 2015. While out playing soccer on the field beside his high school, he experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. There was an AED nearby—but it was locked just inside the locked doors of the school. His friends could see the AED through the glass doors, but they could not get access to it, and so Andrew passed away. His family has since created Andrew’s Legacy in the hopes of increasing AED awareness as this could have been preventable if an AED had been accessible in his time of need.

SaveStations are a line of outdoor, weatherproof AED cabinets designed for 24/7 public access. They keep an AED rescue ready in the event that an SCA occurs.

This outdoor SaveStation is the first of many I hope to see installed within our communities in the coming months and years.

Scott Reid MP
Lanark-Frontenac

Additional Quotes:

“Making AEDs accessible 24/7 is an important step in saving lives. The ACT Foundation is so proud to support initiatives that ensure Canadians have both the lifesaving equipment and the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency,” says Sandra Clarke, Executive Director and Founder of the ACT Foundation.”

To find out more information on how to secure your own Outdoor SaveStation the following resources are provided:

Action First Aid
Website: https://actionfirstaid.ca/

Lanark County Paramedic Service
Website: https://www.lanarkcountyparamedicservice.ca/

ACT Foundation
Website: https://actfoundation.ca/

Andrew’s Legacy
Website: https://andrewslegacyforever.ca/

Scott Reid MP, Lanark Frontenac
Toll-Free: 1-866-277-1577
Email: [email protected]

10/11/2026

🍁 Not Every Thanksgiving Table Looks the Same. 🍁

While many of us gather around the table with family and friends this Thanksgiving, others will be spending the holiday serving and protecting their communities.

To our first responders, communications officers, healthcare professionals, corrections officers, military personnel, and all essential workers whose Thanksgiving tables may look a little different this year — thank you.

Whether you're sharing a meal in the front seat of an ambulance, at a dispatch console, a hospital nursing station, or wherever duty calls, we are grateful for your service, dedication, and the sacrifices you and your families make.

From all of us at Lanark County Paramedic Service, Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁

10/10/2026

10/06/2026

🎖️ Congratulations to two outstanding members of the Lanark County Paramedic Service leadership team!

Chief Travis Mellema and Commander Janice Steele have received the Governor General’s Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal, a national honour recognizing exemplary service in pre-hospital emergency care.

Both Travis and Janice began their careers in paramedicine more than two decades ago and have since made significant contributions to patient care, their colleagues, their communities and the advancement of the paramedic profession.

We are so proud to see their dedication and leadership recognized nationally.

👏 Please join us in congratulating Travis and Janice!

Read the full story here:
https://www.mrha.ca/newsroom?newsid=406

10/05/2026

LCPS was pleased to contribute to the leadership conversation at this year’s Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs (OAPC) conference.

Chief Travis Mellema joined Albert Wong, Citizenship Judge; Chief (ret’d) Gale Chevalier; and LCol Megan Wickett, MD, Canadian Forces, for the WIPL Committee plenary session, Building Trust in Leadership: Gaining Strength and Enhancing Team and Individual Resilience Through Small Acts of Magnanimity, moderated by Dr. Renee MacPhee of Wilfrid Laurier University.

The panel explored magnanimous leadership and the role that generosity, openness and diverse perspectives can play in building strong teams and creating environments where people feel safe to speak up, acknowledge mistakes and learn from one another. The conversation also examined the other side of trust, how it can be eroded, how that erosion shows up within teams, and what leaders can do to rebuild it.

LCPS was grateful for the opportunity to be part of this thoughtful conversation and to share perspectives alongside leaders from across the paramedic and broader leadership community.

10/05/2026

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🚑 🎉 Congratulations to Our Newest Advanced Care Paramedic!

Please join us in congratulating Damien Gareau on successfully completing all requirements for certification as an Advanced Care Paramedic!

This milestone follows an additional year of postgraduate education, advanced clinical training, preceptorship, and a rigorous Base Hospital certification process, including oral and practical evaluations.

Damien now joins a dedicated team of ACPs providing advanced resuscitative and emergency prehospital care across Lanark County, working alongside our highly skilled Primary Care Paramedics to provide exceptional care to our communities.

Congratulations on this well-earned achievement! 👏 🚑

10/05/2026

🚑 Mighty Machines at the Montague Airport!

Lanark County Paramedic Service was pleased to take part in the 5th Annual Mighty Machines event at the Smiths Falls–Montague Russ Beach Airport this past Saturday.

Operations Superintendent Sprunt joined an impressive lineup of vehicles and equipment, giving families an opportunity to get an up-close look at one of our ambulances and learn a little more about the work of our paramedics.

Thank you to all involved in organizing another great community event, and to everyone who stopped by to say hello. 🚑

06/08/2026

Please see the statement below from MRHA regarding today's incident involving an LCPS ambulance.