Donna Fiset was honoured at a community gathering to mark her retirement from a 37-year EMS career on October 15.
“We would like to celebrate Donna’s 37 years of service from her retirement from paramedic services,” said Kathy Kennedy, owner of Hutch Ambulance. The gathering brought together both present and former colleagues at Hutch Ambulance, members of emergency services such as firefighters and the RCMP, nurses, friends and family and many others with whom she interacted with on a daily basis.
Krista Borgerson from Hutch emceed the event inviting friends and colleagues to share their stories and memories. Many speakers from the EMS community and beyond addressed the gathering.
Some shared stories with the group about how Fiset’s care was instrumental in saving lives of loved ones.
For the Kennedys at Hutch Ambulance, Fiset will be sorely missed. “Donna was always there for us,” said Kathy Kennedy. Fiset played a big part in the transition from Wald Ambulance to Hutch in 2008. She had been the only advanced care paramedic on staff for a long time. She was also involved in the education program and mentoring new paramedics.
Fiset reflected on her long career, which paralleled the development of ambulatory care in the province and in Assiniboia. She first entered her career after taking an EMT course in 1982 and further paramedic training later. “At the beginning, paramedics had very little training and earned only minimum wage,” Fiset recounted. It was her brother Steve Wald who spearheaded changes in ambulance care like improved equipment and training in Saskatchewan. Wald Ambulance became leaders in the EMS field. Spending so many years in such a stressful occupation, Fiset noted that her faith was an important cornerstone.
The event also included a celebratory cake as well as a display of Fiset’s badges, certificates and an album of news stories about her career.
