‘Being the calm in the chaos’: local paramedics enlighten students on a career in saving lives

Students learn about life-saving skills at a hands-on event at the AHS Northwest EMS Station on May 20, 2026. (CTV News Edmonton/Darcy Seaton)

Local paramedic students got hands-on experience Wednesday in various aspects of paramedicine.

The students used real medical equipment with instruction from experienced practitioners and viewed several specialty response vehicles at the Alberta Health Services Northwest EMS Station.

“We’ve got nine different stations set up here demonstrating our air ambulance, our standard ground ambulance, our Mobile Integrated Health or Community Care Paramedic Team,” Ian Cowie of Alta Paramedic Health explained.

“We have members from our special operations such as our Incident Response Paramedic Team and our Tactical Emergency Medical Services.”

Cowie told CTV News Edmonton many students don’t realize how many different facets of paramedicine there are.

“We have a ton of different avenues that you can take in your career. I think it’s really important for us to demonstrate those avenues to these students,” he said.

Cowie has been a paramedic for close to 15 years and calls it “incredibly rewarding.”

“There’s something to be said about being the calm in the chaos.”

“These people, they’re calling for help in their time of need, and it is a remarkable honor to be the person to show up and provide that help,“ he said.

The importance of decompressing

Advanced care paramedic Alexa Potolicki responds to regular emergencies as well as mass casualty events and calls involving biological infectious diseases.

She said it’s really important to have a “grounded mindset” as a first responder and hobbies that bring you joy.

“I do yoga or Pilates or whatever. I have a dog that I walk all the time. Just things that make you feel kind of full in other ways so that you can continue to support other people,” she told CTV News Edmonton.

She started working in paramedicine at the age of 19 and said it’s “neat” to become a person students look up to.

“That’s my goal at the end of the day, is to just be exemplary and setting a good example for the students and for all of my colleagues,” she said.

“To make people feel loved and to be loved and to be cared about. I think that’s the most important thing.”

The interactive event comes during National Paramedic Services Week which recognizes the courage and dedication of emergency responders.