Emergency services personnel crowded NRGH's front assembly area on Monday, March 30 to pay tribute to the hospital and front line staff fighting COVID-19. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

SIREN SALUTE

Nanaimo first responders pay tribute to tireless hospital workers in COVID-19 fight

Mar 30, 2020 | 7:43 PM

NANAIMO — The City’s finest police officers, paramedics and fire fighters took time out of their Monday evening routines to salute front line workers at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Nearly 20 vehicles crowded the assembly area outside NRGH’s emergency room for a 7 p.m. siren sounding and celebration of hospital staff.

BC Emergency Health Services unit chief Alex Mattes told NanaimoNewsNOW the demonstration was a small way to say thank you to the front line staff.

“The hospital workers don’t get to get out and hear some of the 7 o’clock sounds going on and we thought we’d come and bring some of it to them,” Mattes said. “It was in appreciation of all first responders, front line personnel and health care workers.”

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The tribute joined a growing movement of celebrating hospital and front line staff every night at 7 p.m. by making noise from home.

“It’s a very heartwarming thing to know that people are standing behind you,” Mattes said. “It’s unprecedented what’s going on so it’s great to see everybody pulling together at times like this…we’re all in this together and we’re all working together to try and beat this.”

First responders from Nanaimo RCMP, Nanaimo Fire Rescue, CVSE and BC Ambulance attended the display.

“We wanted to show our respect and admiration for all the staff at NRGH for what they do every day,” RCMP Cst. Gary O’Brien said. “They get up, they do their job, it’s a thankless job at this point and they’re putting their lives on the line…it’s the least we could do to show our respect for them.

O’Brien added the pandemic has forced all emergency services to adjust the way they conduct themselves and has added an extra layer of the unknown to their job.

“Every call that a first responder goes to whether it’s paramedics, fire, police, hospital staff…they don’t know what they’re walking into,” O’Brien said. “They signed up to do the job and they do it.”

A few dozen members of the public joined in the demonstration, skirting the hospital grounds.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley