Article posted on October 9, 2025
Second annual Leduc EMS Symposium a success
On September 6, more than 150 people attended Leduc Fire Services’ second annual EMS symposium, which represented a 50 per cent increase over the year prior.
“Last year we started with a vision—this year, we built momentum. With record turnout and a day of purposeful programming, the Leduc hosted Paramedic Symposium has become a must-attend event in Alberta’s EMS landscape,” said Glen Tong, medical training officer and advanced care paramedic with Leduc Fire Services.
The audience was comprised of paramedics and firefighters who also perform MFR. Many of the paramedics present also serve on fire departments, as well as with an ambulance service (integrated or otherwise).
“I enjoyed the Leduc Symposium immensely. There were such a wide variety of fascinating topics presented, and the opportunity to engage with colleagues and vendors is fantastic,” said Leslie Beaulieu, MFR strategist.
Highlights included Dr. Sheldon Cheskes presenting the results of his Double Sequential Defibrillation Trial (DOSE VF) via video conference on the benefits of double sequential defibrillation for patients in refractory VF, Deputy Chief Wade MacPherson with Haliburton County in Ontario showcased the benefits of introducing point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into the paramedicine practice, and Lieutenant Ron Gigliotti with EMS in Worcester, Massachusetts spoke to the crowd about the challenges of practitioner safety when dealing with combative patients.
Additionally, NAIT representatives Ben Rauschning and Mike Cheung presented research evaluating a Paired Learner Practicum for students in the Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) program, in which two preceptors were paired with two students on one ambulance and Dr. Shannon Pretty, an EHS Alberta emergency medicine physician, medical director and OLMC physician, spoke on a few key topics including the practice of consulting OLMC and insights for paramedics based on her extensive career.
“With more than 100 attendees and a powerhouse panel of speakers, this year’s Paramedic Symposium proved what’s possible when passionate paramedics come together to learn, share, and lead,” said Tong.
Representatives of the Canadian Resuscitations Outcome Consortium (CanROC) joined a panel discussing perspectives, innovations and developments with cardiac arrest resuscitation in Canada, with many representatives from across the spectrum of EMS within Alberta.
“Leduc Fire is one of the incredible departments leading the way in terms of medical training and patient care, and I’m so grateful for the educational opportunities they’re sharing with the industry,” Beaulieu said.
Last Updated: Thursday, October 09, 2025