Michael Dansereau (right) receives his award from Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty. (Submitted Photo/Lyle Karasiuk)

By Rob Mahon

Paramedic Receives Award

Prince Albert paramedic celebrated for 20 years of service

Sep 16, 2021 | 8:00 AM

While it’s an essential service, working as a paramedic can be a thankless job at times. One Prince Albert paramedic, however, is getting some recognition after 20 years of service in the city.

Michael Dansereau received a Governor General Exemplary Service Medal on Wednesday, Sept. 15, presented by Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty. In a release, the province also noted he, “has demonstrated time and time again the skills required to be an excellent community paramedic role model.”

“I’m quite proud,” Dansereau said. “It’s nice to get recognition that way, for sure. I’ve been having a lot of fun in this profession for a little while now. Twenty years isn’t that long but I suppose it’s long enough.”

Dansereau’s first encounter with paramedics came before he joined the profession officially. In fact, he helped them out as a bystander at one point, and that may have helped steer him down that career path.

“That kind of convinced me this would be an interesting career choice,” Dansereau said. “That’s why I followed it up… A very rewarding career I think.”

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The last year and a half in the pandemic environment have created some changes for Dansereau and his fellow paramedics, but he said it was nothing they couldn’t handle. When he reflected on the last two decades of work in that field, change was something he’d seen quite a bit of.

“EMS as far as an essential service is fairly young,” Dansereau said. “So over the last 40 years I would say, it’s progressed from very basic treatment and assessment levels to quite advanced.”

Dansereau added with a chuckle that, at 54 years old, he still considered himself a young man so he wasn’t thinking of retiring anytime soon. He also said he remains hopeful the pandemic will come to a close sooner than later as long as enough people get their vaccine.

“Hopefully this fourth wave we’re going through will be the last one, for everyone’s sake,” he said. “We’re not finished with it yet, but hopefully in the near future once we get the bulk of the population vaccinated, maybe we’ll see this thing recede into the background a bit for us.”

According to the release from the province, Dansereau has also done a great deal of work enhancing COVID testing among paramedics. He is one of two paramedics from the Prince Albert area to receive an award today, with Allison Irvine being the other.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP