With the launch of the Alberta Paramedic Association, we are at an exciting new chapter in Alberta EMS history. Although we are a young association we are a group of dedicated professionals, who feel that an association will bring Alberta EMS practitioners together, in a way that has not happened in this province in over 30 years.

The association is dedicated to “Four Pillars” of ems practice: Advocacy, Continuing Education, Research, and Public relations. With these four pillars as guiding principles, we will unite Alberta practitioners, and forge new relationships with stakeholders, industry, and allied healthcare providers. Eventually providing college approved continuing education courses, participating in research, advocating for practitioner interests, and large-scale public relations campaigns we hope that the time will come when the Alberta Paramedic Association will be recognized as a leader in Canadian EMS associations.

We have a very extensive five-year strategic plan, outlining goals, and measurable outcomes that we hope to attain in the coming years, the five-year plan can be seen on our website, please let us know what you think.

We have been operating under a generic set of bylaws provided by the Alberta Societies Act, but we have been building our own, specific bylaws that will be sent out for consultation to our members for ratification in early 2015. These draft bylaws are viewable on our website, and we welcome members’ views, and input so we can build a solid set of bylaws that work for our association and will take us into the future of this association.

Committees are in the process of being populated, and work will begin in 2015. If you are interested and would like to volunteer for committee work, please send your resume so that you can help begin the work in the association. Committees that have been created are public relations, HELP, continuing education, and the policy review committee. We need your help to get the committees working.

We are looking forward to getting the association to work, and serving all of Alberta’s dedicated practitioners.