Living just down the street from West Richmond Ambulance Station 269, the Leung sisters, Quinn, 7 and Ella, 6, call out “good luck paramedics!” at home whenever they hear the sirens going down their street.
They know local paramedics are responding to medical emergencies and it’s particularly challenging to do their jobs during a pandemic.
The Leung family, including parents Angela and Lester, and the staff at Station 269 got to know each other over the spring months as the family of four took part in the 7 p.m. cheer in front of the station starting already in March.
As Richmond and the rest of the world hunkered down to stop the spread of COVID-19 and essential workers geared up to protect themselves and their patients, Angela and Lester wanted to do something as a family to show support for those working on the frontline.
“We wanted to teach the girls how we could contribute in this very challenging time,” said Angela Leung.
The first time they went out and cheered at 7 p.m. for the paramedics by themselves as a family of four. But little by little, others from the neighbourhood joined them and cars started honking – the girls held up a sign to say “Honk to say Thanks!”
The message they wanted to send the paramedics at Station 269 was “we’re here for you because know you’re having a challenging time,” Angela explained.
At some point, the fire department also came out to honk and cheer and thank the paramedics.
Leung said the 7 p.m. cheer for paramedics gave Quinn and Ella a sense of purpose - especially since they couldn’t visit with family and schools were largely shut down - and they took ownership of the routine, insisting they wanted to go every day.
Station chief Johnathan Costa said the pandemic has been a stressful time for paramedics. On average, the three ambulance stations in Richmond answer 40 medical emergency calls per day, adding up to about 14,000 per year.
But, because of the extra safety measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, they have had to gear up with respirators, gowns and gloves.
At times, communication is difficult, especially with the elderly and hard of hearing, as their voices are muffled by their respirators.
Last week, paramedics at Station 269 decided to thank the Leungs for the 7 p.m. cheer morale booster and took up a collection to buy them gift cards to Toys’R’Us and White Spot.
“They were surprised and grateful,” said Costa, who has been the station chief for two years. “They weren’t looking for recognition."
Angela said a thank-you card with hand-written messages from the paramedics was especially touching.
